Chapter 254: Chapter 253: Don’t Blame Me
Planet Three, Harville Civilization Flagship, Honor Spaceship, Conference Hall One.
The civilization’s high-ranking officials were all present. The atmosphere in the hall was solemn and grim.
“…At present, all our military-industrial sectors have entered full-power production. The supply of all upstream materials is abundant, and the daily production of various unmanned spacecraft has surpassed 400 units. Based on the current attrition rate, this is more than enough to sustain our efforts.”
Haimo Lan asked gravely, “How is public morale?”
“Due to increased production demands across the board, the work-to-rest ratio for our base-level production staff has risen to approximately 1.5-to-1. Dissatisfaction is gradually building, but it remains within controllable limits.”
“What about our base mineral production?”
“At present, our 16,000 primary mining bases are operating at full capacity. While we haven’t completely offset consumption, the deficit is only around 10%.
We have started using our reserve materials to supplement the supply, so there are no short-term concerns.”
“What’s the situation on the front lines?”
“We are currently sustaining heavy casualties. The average number of Manned Warships destroyed per day has climbed to around 1,200. However, the enemy’s losses are at least five times our own.
Furthermore, our reserve Warship count is ample. If losses near Planet Two become too severe, we can immediately redeploy forces from the other two planets.
Overall, the situation is a temporary stalemate. But the enemy has no supply lines. They’ve demonstrated combat effectiveness far beyond our predictions, but every Warship they lose is a permanent loss.
We estimate that in approximately one year, the enemy’s Warship count will fall below 600,000. At that point, we will have absolute battlefield superiority.”
After hearing the reports from all departments, Haimo Lan reflected for a moment before speaking slowly.
“The enemy has indeed demonstrated combat effectiveness far beyond what we predicted.
They have enough warriors to simultaneously control 800,000 Warships—twice our number.
Their coordination is also superior. It’s clear that every one of their warriors is an elite.
Meanwhile, our internal pressures are mounting daily. Our logistics, in particular, are under immense strain, from base mineral production to military-industrial supply.
But… overall, the situation is still advantageous for us. Time is on our side!
We will pay a heavy price for this war. But that price will yield a return a thousand times over!
Once we capture the main contingent of the Human Civilization, the rewards will be immense. It will spur our development, perhaps even allowing us to take the next step and become a ‘Gravity’ Civilization, a stage we have only dreamed of.
It will all be worth it!”
“Yes, Supreme Leader!”
At that moment, the atmosphere in the vast conference hall became fervent and impassioned.
Meanwhile, aboard the flagship of Li Qingsong’s fleet, the Humanity Spaceship, the Clone containing Li Qingsong’s consciousness stood before a viewport, silently watching the distant points of light that flared and died like newborn stars.
The fierce battle raged on. Every moment, vast numbers of Manned Warships and unmanned combat platforms were destroyed.
The battlefield was locked in a stalemate, with neither side able to gain an advantage.
But Li Qingsong knew that time was not on his side.
The longer this dragged on, the more disadvantageous his position would become.
Not only did he have no reinforcements for his Warships, but his supplies were also on the verge of depletion!
War is the fastest way to burn through resources.
The vast resources, so painstakingly mined, could be exhausted in an instant on the battlefield.
If he maintained the status quo, he feared it wouldn’t be long. Even before his Warship count dropped below 600,000, his fleet would likely be crippled, unable to maneuver for lack of fuel or attack for lack of ammunition.
It seemed he was trapped in an impossible situation.
‘What else could I do? I couldn’t take the planet without resupplying, but I couldn’t get the resources to resupply without taking the planet.’
The situation had become as dire as it could be. Yet, Li Qingsong felt no panic. Instead, a cold smirk touched his lips.
‘You forced my hand. I didn’t want to use this… a weapon that’s still in the experimental and research phase…’
‘We could have coexisted peacefully, but you suddenly changed your minds and sent a fleet to intercept me. We had no quarrel, yet you tried to trap me in this hopeless situation! Since that’s how you want to play it, don’t blame me for what I’m about to do.’
With a single thought from Li Qingsong, the massive fleet activated its propulsion systems and began to slowly approach the battlefield.
The bulk of this fleet consisted of non-combat vessels like residential ships and Space-Air Carriers, escorted by only 200,000 Warships.
Normally, non-combat vessels should stay far from the battlefield to avoid collateral damage. But now, Li Qingsong was violating this ironclad rule of warfare, moving his rear fleet to the very edge of the combat zone, a mere ten million kilometers from Planet Two.
The main fleet’s maneuver immediately drew the enemy’s attention. Li Qingsong saw numerous enemy Warships break away from the main battle and attempt to attack his primary fleet.
The escort fleet immediately moved to engage, desperately blocking every attack. Simultaneously, every ship in the main fleet activated its Energy Shield to stop any stray shots that got through.
A command, sent through his consciousness link to the Clones, arrived in the minds of over a billion of them in an instant.
Aided by the two powerful AIs, Divine Craft and Wukong, vast quantities of equipment were unloaded from the Space-Air Carriers. Under the desperate protection of the Warships, the components began to be arranged in the vast emptiness of space.
The pieces of equipment were strange in appearance. Some looked like massive, square crates. Others resembled spaceships, while some were like long rods. The variety was endless.
They varied in size. The largest were bigger than an Earth-class Warship, while the smallest were smaller than a satellite. Their quantity was also immense; counting all the pieces, large and small, there were at least a billion of them.
Unloading this equipment completely emptied dozens of Space-Air Carriers that had been filled to capacity.
As the equipment was being arranged, several purpose-built energy ships, also of Li Qingsong’s design, departed from the Space-Air Carriers and moved into position among the numerous strange devices.
The energy ship was a vessel specifically designed by Li Qingsong. Its primary component was a massive nuclear fusion power plant, dedicated to supplying power to the other devices.
Strands of superconducting cable snaked out from the energy ships, connecting to one device after another.
Meanwhile, two billion Clones, obeying Li Qingsong’s command, left their stations and entered a group of Space-Air Carriers that he had also personally modified.
Inside those Space-Air Carriers were intelligent cockpits similar to the ones in the ship control centers. The difference, however, was that these cockpits had been fitted with a new drug delivery system.
IV needles were inserted into the necks of these Clones, connecting directly to their circulatory systems.