At that very moment, the two lethal particle beams, carrying momentum that seemed capable of piercing through stars, slammed fiercely from the upper diagonal into the bow shield of the "Abyssal Fang," which had just been realigned.
BOOM!!!
No sound could travel through the vacuum, but the massive energy impact caused the entire warship to shudder violently, its structure groaning in agony.
The bridge lights flickered wildly as countless devices sounded alarms.
At the point of contact between the shield and the beams, a light more blinding than a star erupted.
The bow shield, concentrated with most of the warship's defensive energy, resisted stubbornly. The pale white particle stream was forcibly deflected and scattered, stirring towering energy ripples across the shield's surface.
The stalemate lasted about one and a half seconds.
The four beams finally exhausted their energy and dissipated into the void.
The bow armor of the "Abyssal Fang" was exposed, scorched black in large patches by the stray high-energy particles, but the main structure remained intact.
"Shield energy remaining... 3%. Generator overloaded, cooling system alert. High-intensity concentrated defense cannot be performed again in the short term."
The damage control officer's voice trembled with the relief of having narrowly escaped death.
Jenkins stared at the nearly depleted shield energy bar and the bow damage report on the screen, his expression grim.
Relying on experience and decisiveness, he had barely withstood this meticulously planned head-on assault, but the cost was a significant reduction in the flagship's defensive capabilities for the short term.
More importantly, the enemy clearly had detailed knowledge of their arrival and had been lying in ambush right beside the warp point!
He abruptly looked up, his gaze sharp as a blade, piercing toward the direction of the attack's origin.
There, the shadows of "asteroids" were squirming and transforming, their camouflage fading away to reveal the cold, familiar outlines of hulls beneath—the insignia of the Pluto Fleet.
"All ships, highest combat readiness! The enemy is ambushing at the warp point! Disperse formation, free return fire!"
Jenkins' roar echoed through the fleet channel.
Although the first wave of sniper fire targeting the flagship was narrowly blocked by Jenkins, the Pluto Fleet's offensive was only just beginning.
The Pluto warships, dispersed in ambush positions, now opened fire simultaneously!
High-energy beams, plasma bolts, railgun projectiles, anti-ship missiles...
Like a deadly rainstorm rising from a dark forest, they poured down from different angles and distances onto the Megalodon Fleet, which had just completed its warp and had not yet fully deployed its formation.
"Evasive maneuvers! Evasive maneuvers!"
"Full shields! Brace for impact!"
Chaotic commands rang out across the ship channels.
The Megalodon Fleet was forced to abandon any attempt at organizing a counterattack. All starships immediately channeled energy frantically into their shields, trying to withstand this saturation strike.
For a moment, the airspace occupied by the Imperial Fleet was engulfed in countless explosions and the dazzling ripples of energy collisions.
But not all vessels would be spared.
A destroyer at the edge of the formation was simultaneously struck by three energy beams and five missiles.
Its shield flickered for less than half a second before shattering completely, the hull torn into several sections. A sympathetic detonation in its ammunition depot transformed it into an expanding fireball.
Another Imperial Cruiser attempted evasive maneuvers but was struck on its broadside by a heavy plasma bolt fired from an unexpected angle.
The moment its shield overloaded, armor melted away and the vessel listed severely, losing most of its propulsion. It drifted helplessly through the crossfire like a wounded whale.
Explosions and destruction flashed continuously across the Imperial formation.
"We can't just sit here and take this beating!"
Jenkins stared at the rapidly escalating combat loss data, his eyes bloodshot.
"Entire fleet!
Abandon defensive positions! Breakout toward Neva Star!
Use the planetary defense systems for cover!
Now!"
Neva Star was the only nearby planet with a major Empire base and orbital defense platforms. There, they could at least gain some breathing room and support.
The surviving Megalodon Fleet vessels, like sharks driven into a corner, began shifting course.
Engines at full power, they endured continuous artillery fire while attempting to tear open an escape route.
Aboard the Pluto Fleet flagship, Kunlun Mountain - Modified.
Qin Beiwang calmly observed the battlefield.
Seeing the Megalodon Fleet beginning to move toward Neva Star, he immediately issued new orders.
"Enemy fleet shield energy is universally depleted. They need time to recharge.
All Swift fighter wings, launch.
Targets: enemy vessel sections with no shields or weakened shields—engines, weapon arrays, sensors."
The command was instantly transmitted via quantum link to the waiting aircraft carriers.
Hangar Bay of the Fire Qilin aircraft carrier.
The massive hangar was brightly lit, filled with the hiss of high-pressure gas and the clang of machinery.
Streamlined, matte-painted Swift-V fighters were moved from maintenance racks by automated tow systems and precisely delivered to elevator platforms leading to different deck levels.
Four electromagnetic catapult tracks on the upper deck and four on the mid-deck—eight in total—were ready. Beyond the open hatchways at the end of each track lay the cold void of space.
Beside each track, laser guides projected faint green beams, outlining clear launch paths in the emptiness.
Pilots were already seated in their cramped cockpits, data streams flowing across their helmet displays.
"Swift, 758.
Fan Jie, ready."
A young but steady voice sounded over the launch channel.
"Lieutenant Fan Jie, this is Control. Guidance route locked.
May the stars guide your path. May glory be with you."
The communications officer's voice came through.
"Received. Fan Jie, Swift fighter 758, launching!"
Bang!
The electromagnetic catapult released immense kinetic energy, accelerating the fighter to launch velocity in an instant.
Like a stone fired from a slingshot, it was hurled into the cold void.
One after another, Swift fighters launched at high frequency from all eight catapult tracks, swiftly forming attack squads beyond the hatchways.
Soon, hundreds of Swift fighters gathered like a disturbed swarm of hornets.
Then they transformed into deadly blue streaks, diving toward the Megalodon Fleet as it attempted its breakout with already-diminished shields.
Their targets were those steel behemoths stripped of their energy barriers, left naked and exposed.
The deadly second round of the hunt was about to unfold in another, more agile and precise manner.
Just as Jenkins desperately commanded the fleet to turn toward Neva Star, the hull trembling under the firepower of the Pluto Fleet, a piercing alarm once again shattered the already strained nerves.
"Detecting a large number of high-speed small targets!
Count... over seven hundred!
Identification signal... Federation Swift Type-V space fighters!
They have launched from the rear area of the enemy fleet and are approaching at high speed!"
On the tactical screen, behind the blue cursors representing the enemy's capital ships, a dense swarm of fast-moving red dots suddenly surged forth.
Like a furious swarm of bees pouring out of a shattered hive, they swept toward them, blotting out the sky!
Jenkins stared fixedly at that red cloud symbolizing death, the muscles on his face twitching uncontrollably.
His complexion, previously flushed with anger and tension, instantly turned ashen.
Stellar carriers... the intel was actually fucking true!