"Second suicide attempt, a grave offense! Deduct 50 points, administer 10 minutes of electroshock, and inject 10 units of itching agent!"
"Heh heh, heh heh..."
An intelligent life form chuckled darkly, dark red saliva dribbling from its mouth. It had apparently gone insane.
"Inject the mental restoration agent!"
A liquid solution was injected into the intelligent being's body. He immediately closed his eyes and fell into a deep slumber.
Here, death and madness were strictly forbidden. After all, either state would cause an intelligent being to lose its intelligence.
As the biological and Quantum Supercomputers completed their joint calculations, streams of information appeared in the Red Dog AI's logical processing unit.
"Our primary objective is to capture the Prey Civilization.
The Prey Civilization's Hydrogen Bomb trap was a one-time use. The trap is now neutralized.
We have 120,000 Warships available, which is still enough to break through the enemy's defensive line and crush their fleet.
However, it must be noted that if pushed to despair, the enemy may still detonate their Hydrogen Bomb vessels. While this would no longer threaten us, they would be committing mass suicide, resulting in a zero-percent return for our efforts.
Therefore, we cannot launch a full-scale assault. Our next strategic objective is to break the enemy's spirit.
Only a complete mental collapse will force the enemy to surrender.
Thus, an extreme-pressure strategy is the best option."
The Red Dog AI quickly made its decision.
Following this, out of the sixty-thousand-plus Warships that had barely escaped, just over one thousand of the best-preserved and most well-supplied vessels regrouped. They once again charged toward Li Qingsong's defensive perimeter.
The thousand-plus Warships formed a "spearhead." With unstoppable momentum, they swiftly pierced a single point in his defensive line and then charged straight for the star.
Li Qingsong's expression turned grim at the sight.
His defensive line had been able to hold back the enemy fleet before because their target had been the line itself.
But now, the enemy had changed tactics. They were no longer getting bogged down by his defenses; they were single-mindedly focused on punching through.
Under these circumstances, Li Qingsong was completely unable to stop them.
'How could he stop them? The enemy wasn't just more maneuverable, more powerful, and with greater operational range—even their defenses far surpassed his own. Since they refused to get entangled, there was simply no way to stop them!'
Their objective was clear: charge the star, destroy all his Hydrogen Bomb vessels, and prevent him from "detonating" the star again.
If the enemy had charged in with all tens of thousands of their Warships, Li Qingsong would have detonated the Hydrogen Bomb vessels without hesitation, taking them down with him.
But now, only a small contingent had broken through—just over a thousand Warships.
'So... should he still detonate the Hydrogen Bomb vessels?'
He was damned if he did, and damned if he didn't.
For a moment, Li Qingsong was caught in an impossible situation.
Then, in the next instant, realization dawned on Li Qingsong.
'This is an extreme-pressure strategy!'
'The enemy was trying to put him in this exact dilemma. They were walking a fine line—applying just enough pressure to make him consider mutual destruction, but not so much that he'd lose all hope of survival. They wanted to keep his nerves frayed, but never push him over the edge into making a final, drastic decision. Under that constant strain, they would chip away at his means of resistance, wear down his will to fight, and wait for him to finally break!'
'Damn it. Being a whole technological tier higher really lets them do whatever they want. A normal intelligent civilization would probably break under this pressure and surrender.'
'They're constantly provoking him, pushing him right to the brink but never actually crossing the line. Who could withstand being toyed with like this? Even the strongest will would eventually shatter.'
Li Qingsong cursed inwardly. 'This goddamn Intelligent Mechanical Calamity really has some moves.'
'But I'm no ordinary Electroweak Civilization!'
Li Qingsong had already figured out his counter-strategy for the next phase.
This extreme-pressure strategy might have been unexpected, but it didn't change the next phase of his plan.
Li Qingsong immediately issued a command to all Clones, all AIs, and all Warships and vessels.
Forget the Hydrogen Bomb vessels! All forces, sortie! Take the offensive!
Target: the main fleet of the Intelligent Mechanical Calamity!
Instantly, the engines of countless Warships flared to life. They accelerated at maximum velocity, hurtling toward a target billions of kilometers away.
Countless points of light converged, forming a veritable ocean of stars. This stellar sea surged forward, an almost unstoppable tide.
Aboard the Supercomputer Carrier, the sight caused even the Red Dog AI's logical processing unit to momentarily overload.
This development was far beyond its calculations.
'A fleet from an Electroweak Civilization launching a direct assault on a Strong Core Civilization?'
'A scenario like this had likely never occurred in the entire Milky Way Galaxy.'
'Yes, we suffered grievous losses due to your trap. But even with only a hundred-thousand-plus Warships remaining, our combat strength still completely eclipses yours.'
'Are they insane? Or... is this another suicide charge?'
At that moment, the tens of thousands of Warships stationed beyond the Asteroid Belt launched a ferocious assault on Li Qingsong's fleet. In an instant, a vast number of his ships were destroyed.
Li Qingsong paid them no mind.
'Let them destroy what they will! It doesn't matter. I have more than enough Warships; these losses are nothing.'
'All I have to do now is charge forward! Charge! Charge!'
'Charge straight for their main fleet!'
'Yes, your combat strength is still formidable. I'm no match for you. But don't forget, strong offense doesn't mean strong defense!'
'I refuse to believe your main fleet—with all its residential, industrial, resource, and transport vessels—has defenses as strong as your Warships!'
'You only have a handful of Warships left. Given enough time, you could certainly annihilate me. But are so few Warships enough to protect such a massive non-combat fleet?'
'It's like a squad of fully-armed, modern special forces protecting a group of unarmed non-combatants in primitive territory.'
'The primitives' spears and arrows are no match for firearms, of course. But they have the advantage of overwhelming numbers.'
'Your "modern special forces" are powerful, but there are too few of you. Even if you manage to protect all those non-combatants, that protection is bound to be spread thin.'
'In that case... I'll make your non-combat vessels my primary target!'
'Worst-case scenario, I lose all my Warships and just start over. But let's see if your non-combat fleet—especially your residential vessels—can tolerate even a one-percent loss!'
Enduring unceasing casualties, Li Qingsong's fleet pressed onward. Then, he saw it: billions of kilometers away, the main fleet of the Intelligent Mechanical Calamity finally began to stir.