85: rebels

Despair.

It was more bone-chilling than the cold wind blowing in the deepest winter night of Siberia.

Just a few minutes ago, they were still immersed in the overwhelming joy of destroying the enemy flagship in one blow.

But now, looking at the dots of enemy ships on the main screen, which had appeared out of thin air like a red plague and numbered more than ten times their own, everyone's faces were left with nothing but a deathly gray.

"Warp..." the weapons analyst's voice turned hoarse from despair, "We are not facing an opponent on the same level at all."

"Captain, we are surrounded." The vice-captain's voice was filled with bitterness, "All retreat routes have been blocked. We only have the flagship voyager and over sixty frigates left."

He did not continue.

But everyone understood the meaning of his unfinished words.

They were at the end of their rope.

Captain Li Zhenhua stood quietly in front of his command seat. His face, usually as firm as a rock, showed no expression at this moment. Only his bloodshot eyes, caused by long hours of intense concentration, were still staring fixedly at the desperate starry sky outside the window, which was surrounded by thousands of silvery-white warships.

Human Civilization had exhausted all of its courage, wisdom, and sacrifice to get here.

But in the end, it was still unable to overcome that massive technological chasm that was like a natural moat.

He slowly raised his hand and pressed the communication button connecting to the Earth Defense Force High Command.

"This is the voyager," his voice was calm without a ripple, as if he were reading a eulogy that had been written long ago, "We have done our best."

"To all members of the First Fleet, it is an honor to have fought side by side with you until the very last moment."

"Tell our families that we did not live up to their expectations."

"We are defeated but glorious."

He paused, took a deep breath, and used all his strength to issue his final order as captain.

"First Fleet, all units listen up!"

"Start all engines that can still be started!"

"Target—the densest part of the enemy fleet formation!"

"For Human Civilization!"

"Advance!!!"

At this tragic moment filled with a sense of destiny.

Just as the voyager was preparing to burn out its last life and launch a suicide charge, destined to be meaningless, against the endless enemies.

A situation that no one had expected occurred.

In the middle of the empty battlefield between the human fleet and the massive "Faraim Fleet" encirclement.

Space distorted violently once again.

A flashing vortex, hundreds of times larger than all previous warp exits combined, appeared out of thin air.

Immediately after, a gigantic, silvery-white warship, so massive it exceeded the limits of everyone's imagination, suddenly appeared in the center of the battlefield.

Its exterior style was almost exactly the same as those "falam warships".

Both were filled with that angular, systematic aesthetic.

But its size was the difference between a giant whale and a sardine.

Its length was estimated to be nearly thirty kilometers!

When its mountain-like, continuous hull was fully revealed before everyone, everyone was shocked by its incomparable size.

"Is... is it the enemy's new flagship?"

On the bridge of the voyager, a young officer looked at the super giant ship exuding endless oppression, his voice filled with despair.

The heart that was already hanging finally died.

If they were only facing a pack of wolves earlier, then what appeared before them now was a real Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Soon, that huge silvery-white warship suddenly made a move.

Its mirror-smooth bow armor slid open silently to both sides, revealing a pitch-black muzzle that was dozens of times larger than the main gun of the voyager.

A point of extreme blackness, deeper than a black hole, lit up in the center of the muzzle.

Just as everyone thought it was going to fire at the surrounded human fleet.

It slowly aimed its muzzle at those "Faraim Fleet" that looked like its "companions".

Then, it fired.

A black beam, impossible to describe in any language, flashed out from the muzzle.

Wherever that black light passed, time and space seemed to have been completely erased.

All "falam warships" that were directly hit or merely came close to its flight path were instantly twisted, stretched, and finally, like paper thrown into a shredder, turned into the most primitive dust in a silent annihilation by an irresistible force.

Just one shot.

The massive encirclement, composed of nearly a thousand warships that had forced the human fleet into a desperate situation, was forcibly cleared of a huge fan-shaped gap!

Over three hundred "falam warships" instantly evaporated under the sweep of that black light!

The visual impact of this scene was so powerful and so subversive to cognition that both the Earth Defense Force High Command and all the survivors of the First Fleet stared dumbfounded at this miraculous scene before them, their minds blank.

This... what is going on?

The enemy is attacking its own people?

Just as everyone was still in extreme shock and confusion, the emotionless electronic voice of the Paradox Technology "spokesperson" sounded like a heavenly melody in the Earth Defense Force's high command channel.

"Generals, the situation has changed."

"We have just received a communication request from a fleet claiming to be the regular army of the Faleim Civilization."

"white flower" began to provide the most logical explanation for this earth-shattering reversal, which could be called a "battle of the gods", according to the script that Lei Wen had already prepared for her.

"According to the information provided by the other party," her voice stated calmly, "The Faleim Civilization is currently experiencing an internal war of unprecedented scale."

"The fleet attacking our Solar System is not their main force, but belongs to a rebel army that failed in the civil war."

"This rebel army has already fallen into a complete disadvantage in their home star system, which is why they are eager to find a way out and a new base elsewhere."

"And our Solar System unfortunately happens to be located on their planned retreat route."

"The rich biological resources on Earth and the relatively primitive defense forces made them think that this is a supply station that can be easily occupied, which is why they assembled a portion of their fleet to launch an invasion against us."

"And now," she switched the screen to the super giant ship that was wreaking havoc, "The regular army of the Faleim Civilization seems to have freed up their hands; they have dispatched several detachments to start flanking and pursuing the rebels."

"The one we just encountered should be one of them."

Although this explanation from "white flower" sounded full of coincidences and drama, it perfectly explained all the illogical phenomena before them.

It explained why the combat power of the "Faraim Fleet" fluctuated, sometimes despairingly powerful, and sometimes vulnerably weak—because those might have been two different factions entirely!

It also explained why such a powerful "friendly force" would suddenly appear and help humanity.

"The other party also indicated," "white flower" continued, "that as soon as the war in their home star system ends, their main fleet will immediately come to encircle and annihilate the rebels that have fled to our location."

"Before that, they will spare a portion of their forces to help us defend together."

"They only have one request—they hope that we can drag the strength of this rebel army within the Solar System as much as possible and not let them escape easily. They will install a device called the Superluminal Suppressor on our Babel Space Station. When this device is activated, it will make all ships identified as enemies within a radius of three light-years unable to enter a superluminal state, nor can they perform warps."

"Our mission is to protect the Superluminal Suppressor and delay time for the upcoming real Faleim regular fleet. Even if the rebel fleet escapes at 99% speed of light, it would take more than three years to escape the range of the Superluminal Suppressor. The main fleet of the Faleim regular army can completely end the war in the home star system and catch up with them within three years."

"As a reward," her voice carried a hint of simulated "excitement", "After the war ends, they will give our Human Civilization reasonable compensation, including but not limited to advanced technology transfer, resource compensation, and recognizing our equal status as an independent civilization in future interstellar affairs."

These words were like the dawn symbolizing the arrival of daybreak.

"Does this mean... we are saved?"

On the bridge of the voyager, the young officer who had been in despair moments ago muttered to himself.

Captain Li Zhenhua looked at the super giant ship on the screen that was unilaterally slaughtering the "rebels", and then looked at his own scarred, nearly collapsed fleet, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

Human Civilization was like a child who had just learned to walk, stumbling into a primeval forest filled with prehistoric behemoths.

They first encountered a pack of seemingly ferocious jackals and had to fight with all their might just to barely protect themselves.

And just as they were about to be overwhelmed by the wolf pack, a passing Tyrannosaurus Rex suddenly appeared, bit a few jackals to death in one bite, and then told them: "Don't be afraid, child, I'm here to help you."

This feeling of having one's fate randomly controlled by a more powerful existence made Li Zhenhua feel a deep sense of powerlessness.

But it also made him more determined to make Human Civilization truly strong as soon as possible.

And in the high command of Babel Tower, Wang Quanjin, Reinhardt, and other high-level officials, after digesting this earth-shattering news, saw their fighting spirit reignite on their faces.

"Order the First Fleet to retreat immediately, disengage from combat, and return to Babel Tower for emergency repairs and resupply!" Wang Quanjin decisively issued the new order.

"Order the Second and Third Fleets to regroup and retreat to the lunar orbital defense line!"

"Announce this news to the whole world! Tell our people that we are not fighting alone! We have a new ally!"

"We can win this war!"

No one doubted the authenticity of this "good news" brought by Paradox Technology.

Because in this world, if there was still one entity capable of direct communication with these mysterious aliens.

Then it could only be the equally mysterious Paradox Technology.

Lei Wen, far away in the command room of the underground factory in Tianqiong City, looked at the space battlefield filled with debris from the human fleet's ships, and a trace of guilt flashed across his face.

He did not know how many families on Earth had been plunged into grief by the "play" he had "acted out".

A single order from him affected thousands of living lives.

But soon, he restrained his guilt, replacing it with determination.

All great works require sacrifice to be forged.