But we received a reply very quickly.

The secretary returned to the fleet commander with a helpless expression and said, "The superiors mean that no matter what happens, we are not allowed to leave the battlefield without their orders."

As for the reinforcement fleet, it is still being urgently dispatched, so let us not worry.

As for the specific time, it is expected to be within three hours.

"Three hours?" The fleet commander was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled self-deprecatingly: "It seems we've been used as a test stone."

The secretary was taken aback, clearly not understanding the meaning behind those words.

The fleet commander shrugged and explained, "With our ability to mobilize devour civilizations, small-scale mobilization is not difficult."

However, it is impossible to complete the response and deployment in a short period of time with such a large-scale mobilization.

We do not possess that level of military strength and military proficiency.

In such situations, trade-offs must be made.

That is, to first arrange military deployments in some important locations, then in less important locations, and so on.

The star system we are in charge of, although it is also a strategic star system, is not among the most important.

So I estimate that the higher-ups have the idea of ​​protecting this galaxy, but it's not a very high priority.

But I also want to give it a try.

That would require existing information on attacking the enemy.

For example, what is the size of the enemy's forces attempting to attack this star system?

Is it 100,000 ships, 300,000 ships, or 1 million ships?

If there were 100,000 ships, the higher-ups would quickly deploy them, ensuring the safety of the entire star system.

However, if it were 300,000 interstellar warships, then the pros and cons would need to be weighed. Most likely, suitable legion fleets would be deployed here for defense, not to eliminate the enemy, but simply to prevent the star system from suffering devastating destruction.

What if it's a million ships?

That would inevitably mean abandoning the star system, and there's even a possibility that during the retreat, they would try to remove some important equipment, and destroy what they couldn't remove.

To prevent this star system from falling into enemy hands and being quickly exploited by them.

In this process, we are the initial step, the one used to probe the enemy's troop strength.

As for whether this stone lives or dies, do you think anyone cares?

Upon hearing these words from the fleet commander, the secretary immediately realized what was going on.

Fear immediately flashed in his eyes—the fear of death.

"Then...then aren't we going to die here?" the secretary said in terror.

"This is probably what will happen to us."

No matter how many legions and fleets the opposing Dragon Star Empire sends.

"Basically, our fates are all the same," the fleet commander said calmly.

The secretary's legs trembled, and he subconsciously looked towards the bridge gate.

"Don't even think about being a deserter."

I won't stop you.

But do you know what happened to those who deserted in the last battle?

Anyone registered as a deserter will first have all their immediate family members arrested by the military police, and their wife will be sent to the poorest places to be enslaved.

Your child will be sold into slavery, or if they are lucky, sold to a mine, where they will work for more than ten years in an environment without protective equipment until they die.

Your family will be ashamed of you.

It could even lead to your family having to pay huge fines. If your family can't afford the fines, the first thing they'll do is sell your family's assets. If that's still not enough, they'll have to sell their children.

If you truly want your family and your clan to bear these burdens because of you.

"Then I won't stop you." The fleet commander said calmly.

Thinking of all this, the secretary collapsed to the ground, clutching his head in his hands: "I...I'm not even thirty years old, and I've only been in the army for less than three years."

I finally got promoted to the position of secretary of the corps fleet... I didn't come here... to die.

I don't want to die... I don't want to die..."

The secretary appeared to be on the verge of a breakdown.

The fleet commander looked at another sergeant beside him: "Don't cause too much of a commotion, give him a sedative."

"Yes." The sergeant was also a veteran and was not alarmed by this fact.

Because they all knew very well that in such a brutal interstellar civilization as Devouring Civilization, the fate of deserters was extremely grim.

Therefore, the vast majority of people would rather die than desert.

"Commander, look over there!" someone suddenly exclaimed.

The fleet commander looked up out the porthole and saw something glowing like jade in the distant sky.

Then one after another, interstellar warships filed out.

The number quickly increased from a few hundred to several thousand, and it continues to increase.

"They've arrived."

"It's a starship from the Xiaolong Interstellar Empire." The fleet commander saw the familiar fleet insignia and the familiar starship.

A change appeared in his eyes—fear, a deep, intense fear.

He took out a bottle of wine from somewhere and drank it down his throat.

He said in a deep voice, "Since the outcome cannot be changed, let's fight for the greatest benefit for our family and clan."

I hereby command all interstellar warships to prepare for battle.

It also records data on enemy fleets appearing here, including the number of enemy interstellar warships, the types of interstellar warships, and so on.

Just in case, send a new update to the higher-ups every ten seconds, keeping things constantly updated!

Until we... had only one starship left.

After the fleet commander finished issuing the order, the corps commander gave the order.

He took another sip of his drink, then muttered self-deprecatingly, "With this kind of performance, I suppose my children will at least have a comfortable childhood."

After saying that, he looked at the interstellar warship of the Xiaolong Interstellar Empire opposite him.

For some reason, an idea popped into his head.

If... if... if his homeland had the help of this interstellar legion fleet, if they had joined forces to resist...

Would he then be free from wearing this uniform, and would his homeland not have to be destroyed, nor have he had to bear the stigma of being a traitor and leave his home?

"Emperor of the Dragon... If... if you could really defeat the Devouring Civilization in the future, that would be great."

Kill those three damn bastards.

"Damn the Three Kings!" the fleet commander cursed hysterically in his mind.

And soon, the situation unfolded almost exactly as expected.

The JF-17 fleet that appeared here reacted immediately upon discovering the battle situation.

The first interstellar warships to arrive here immediately joined the battle.

The interstellar heavy gunships provided initial fire support, with tens of thousands of cannons raining down on this civilization-devouring legion fleet.

Then came the advance of star destroyers and star battleships.

Faced with the main interstellar warships of the JF-17 series.

Interstellar warships that devour civilizations have no ability to resist.

What's more, some of these are even T6-class interstellar warships.

The fleet of less than three thousand ships was disappearing at a visible rate.

Soon, the situation became one-sided.

Ultimately, all three thousand interstellar warships that had devoured civilizations were destroyed here.

Even until the moment they were completely annihilated, the so-called reinforcement fleet did not arrive to provide support.

"Hello, we are the 7th Squadron of the 9th Reconnaissance Battalion under the Ghost Scout Ace Fleet Group."

We are ordered to restart the high-frequency equipment to guide you on your arrival.

A Ghost Scout squadron commander looked at the commander opposite him, saluted, and reported.

"Hello, I am Magiani, commander of the 31st Legion under the Third Fleet Group of the JF-17 Thunder."

The Ghost Scout Squadron Commander glanced at the Legion Commander's rank.

He is a lieutenant general of the Empire.

In the current fleet system of the Xiaolong Interstellar Empire, those who can serve as legion commanders are generally lieutenant generals or major generals.

Major General Ma.

I have already sent detailed information about this battlefield to the relevant departments of your legion's fleet.

"We will continue our mission now. If you need anything, you can contact us through your accompanying interstellar stealth reconnaissance ship," the Ghost Scout Squadron commander said after saluting.

"Okay, I understand."

Thank you for successfully completing the mission here.

"Goodbye." Lieutenant General Magiani returned the salute.

Then the thirty stealth interstellar reconnaissance ships slowly sailed away from the battlefield, as if everything that had happened here had nothing to do with them.

Next, they will remain hidden in this universe, repairing their starships while providing the Ghost Scouts Ace Fleet with the necessary intelligence; they are the eyes hidden in the darkness.

Lieutenant General Ma Jiani watched as the 'Jade Gate' slowly dissipated.

Because this is a one-time stargate delivery, it will disappear after the delivery is completed.

However, for the needs of this battle, the Xiaolong Star Legion fleet prepared a large number of these 'White Jade Stargate devices'.

After all, it's an inter-space operation, so how could we not have all the necessary equipment?

Lieutenant General Ma Jiani walked to the command platform, and a detailed interstellar sand table immediately appeared in front of her, along with more than a dozen video windows around her.

Those were the commanders of the various corps fleets under her legion fleet.

"Order all units to sail at a constant speed along this route."

Let's take this opportunity to hold an emergency wartime meeting.

"Yes," the corps commanders responded.

"This is Battlefield No. 16, the strategic objective of which is an enemy industrial base that produces interstellar warships."

It ranks among the top five in the enemy universe and provides at least 10% of the interstellar warships for the legion fleet that devours civilizations.

Therefore, if we launch an attack here, the enemy will inevitably prepare elite troops to stop us.