Galaxy Domination Guide-Chapter 617 - 603 170,000 Warships Grand Melee (Part 3)

Compared to the three core elements of an average warship—firepower, defense, and maneuverability—the Swarm's warship beetles were not only inferior to the top ten tycoons' Level 30+ warships, but also fell behind when compared to the Star Alliance's Level 27 warships, albeit not by much.

Bai Zhongqi had spent a lot of time studying how the Swarm waged war and concluded that compared to other civilizations in the Galaxy, the Swarm held two advantages: first, the Swarm's warship beetles were under the unified control of the Empress, surpassing the coordinated combat tactics of most civilizations' fleets; second, the Swarm truly possessed a diverse and tricky ability to adapt, able to surprise their adversaries on the battlefield.

In the Swarm, there was a large number of escort ship-level warship beetles that Bai Zhongqi deemed insignificant. In such battles, they were merely cannon fodder, many escort ships unable to last even a few minutes before their shields were breached and they were sunk. However, by combining into Split Shield Beetles, their utility was revitalized, and each Split Shield Beetle became as threatening on the battlefield as a powerful main battle ship.

The cruisers and main battle ship-level warship beetles tasked with dealing damage furiously covered the already-combined Split Shield Beetles with their firepower. The Star Alliance warships being suppressed couldn't focus their attacks on the Split Shield Beetles, and once the Split Shield Beetles closed in, they bit onto their shields. At such a grappling range, the Star Alliance warships couldn't escape and could only helplessly watch their shields be breached by the Split Shield Beetles, then get devoured as if they were snacks.

Xiao Yu, observing the frenzied and dangerous Split Shield Beetles, once again felt intense unease on the battlefield. He scolded two Divine Generals, "What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and dispatch the air force to take down these monsters!"

Su Shuang had no intention of arguing with Xiao Yu; he merely glanced at Xiao Yu and said, "The largest air force is in your own hands, Your Excellency Chancellor."

Xiao Yu was somewhat flustered, but by then, he had vaguely grasped the reason why Su Shuang had forcibly dragged him into this battle. Su Shuang wanted not only to defeat the star-devouring Swarm but also to weaken the strength of his Star Alliance.

Thinking this, Xiao Yu's expression turned even colder as he gazed at Su Shuang.

A large number of Star Alliance fighters took to the skies. These fighters were no longer the sirens and Sky Dominators from the early days when Bai Zhongqi had just established the Star Alliance. The new generation of space main battle fighters were developed under Xiao Yu's insistence, known for their highly balanced capabilities, codenamed "Egret".

As tens of thousands of Star Alliance fighters flooded into the battlefield, the space seemed to become even more crowded. The warships held by the Split Shield Beetles were unable to supply them effectively, but the flying Egret Fighters could. However, these Heron Fighters had to first deal with their own enemies.

The Diamond Beetle, the main force among the Swarm's fighter beetles and also the most numerous.

The Diamond Beetle, an insectoid flying unit with six legs and six wings of varying colored shells, boasted a highly versatile and formidable combat capability. A basic Diamond Beetle had dozens of small missile launchers on its back and underside, able to produce these missiles internally. Its mouthparts could spit out railgun projectiles accelerated by an internal electromagnetic field, and the firing velocity was also incredibly fast. The compound eyes of the Diamond Beetle could emit various forms of lasers, lethal against airborne and small units.

Not to mention, the Diamond Beetle could flexibly carry a range of heavy weapons; for instance, some could be equipped with heavy beam cannons on their upper side, effective against large shielded units as well.

(This is a reference to the Vajra from Macross F.)

Xu Lanzhou, as Commander, had already deployed two-thirds of the Diamond Beetles even before the enemy brought forth a massive air unit. At this moment, the battlefield was swarmed by over two million Diamond Beetles, and these thirty-meter-plus behemoths may seem smaller than the Egret Fighters, but when they beat their wings—powered not just by aerodynamic engines but also by astronautical engines—in groups, they presented an exceptionally fearsome sight.

Just like the Swarm Warships' tactics, a large number of Diamond Beetles served as the spearhead of firepower suppression, followed by those with particularly massive limbs and even foreclaws equipped with shield-breaking tools, surging forward to tear open the shields of the Egret Fighters.

Despite the vast breadth of the battlefield, two million Diamond Beetles blanketed the sky, hunting down the Egrets with abandon, still giving the impression of a dense swarm of flying machines.

Upon witnessing this scene, Xiao Yu was overcome with shock and rage, completely unable to accept such a sight. He could, of course, deploy another squadron of fighters, but he doubted whether any number he committed would be enough to stop these frightening Diamond Beetles.

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Su Shuang and Suo Kexiao remained unfazed.

The Star Alliance Warships' own anti-air firepower was already decadently luxurious. The Diamond Beetles, with their abundant but frail shields, were easily exposed. The Star Alliance Warships, effective in their firepower blockade, quickly brought down a swathe of Diamond Beetles. The destroyed Diamond Beetles floated on the battlefield, a common occurrence in space combat where the bodies of comrades and foes alike lay nearby, narrating the gruesome intensity of battle.

In just fifteen to twenty minutes, the Diamond Beetles had slain over three hundred thousand Star Alliance fighters, while in return, amid the combined assault of the aerial forces and the Fleet's anti-air firepower, the Beetles suffered losses exceeding half a million.

All war machines on this battlefield were merely numbers, one could only wonder to what extent these numbers must change to make the scales of war irreversibly tip.

Cui Zhihao, still in the belly of the Golden Great Sail Ship, was scratching his head in distress, even though he had become the father of two children by now, he still could not remain calm. This was his first battle back as a Captain, and a grand fracas involving 170,000 warships, as well as the decisive battle that would reestablish the order of Earth and reclaim the civilization they wished to see. Yet, up to this point, Cui Zhihao had received no orders to depart.

"Could it be that our Fleet will not appear on the battlefield at all?" Cui Zhihao even started to doubt.

But Chi Jia, temporarily in charge as Captain of this Fleet, did not trouble herself with such concerns. Familiarizing them with these new warships was naturally for the purpose of going into battle. However, Chi Jia had some idea that Chancellor Bai Zhongqi, whom she once opposed, was a Commander who liked to play his cards one step at a time.

Their Fleet would only be deployed to the battlefield when they could change the situation. What they needed to do was simply wait patiently.

Under the double blow from the Split Shield Beetles and Diamond Beetles, Su Shuang seemed to begin adjusting his own deployment, with the deep formations starting to shift, engaging the Swarm Fleet in a more extensive siege. The Swarm's assault squadrons, which had just achieved more successes, immediately faced a severe counterstrike.