Kilsager and Chat Groups

Chapter 230 Another Gamble

Gerald's eyes were filled with complex emotions as he stared intently at the holographic screen in front of him, which was flashing various data and images. The scene displayed on the screen resembled a horrific apocalyptic landscape—the army was suffering a devastating blow on the surface of this strange planet.

The once neat and orderly defensive line had been completely destroyed. Heavy armored vehicles were blown into burning wreckage, billowing black smoke, and twisted metal fragments flew everywhere in the air.

Soldiers fled in disarray amidst a hail of bullets, enemy artillery fire raining down like downpours, with men screaming and falling in the explosions, their blood staining the desolate land.

Gerald sighed deeply, already understanding that the army's crushing defeat was a foregone conclusion.

From the moment this war began, they were like moths drawn to a flame, with absolutely no chance of winning.

His brows furrowed tightly, and his eyes revealed a hint of resentment and regret.

He recalled his initial confidence when he formulated the battle plan, believing that conquering this sector would be easy with the UED's powerful military strength.

But reality struck him like a heavy slap in the face.

Looking at the surrounding battle situation, it's clear that the opponent is no pushover either.

They also entered the planet's orbit, but due to the mysterious and unknown massive black fog, they did not engage in a thrilling fleet battle with them in the sky above the planet.

Gerald knew that the black mist was like an invisible barrier, both blocking the enemy's attack and greatly restricting their movements.

Based on current observations, the other side possesses a level of technology that is in no way inferior to theirs.

What made Gerald even more desperate was that there was a high probability that a Protoss fleet was hovering in the sky above the planet.

Once this Protoss fleet joins the battle, the UED expeditionary fleet will be doomed.

Gerald could almost see the Protoss warships, gleaming with blue light, emerging from the void and unleashing powerful energy beams that destroyed their ships one by one.

In this desperate situation, Gerald felt as if all the strength had been drained from his body.

He slumped into the captain's seat, his body sinking deep into the soft seat, his eyes staring blankly ahead.

A voice kept echoing in his mind: he might be the most unsuccessful expeditionary fleet commander in history.

He once led this fleet, harboring the dream of conquering the Koprulu Sector, and set foot on this land full of unknowns and dangers.

But now, everything has vanished like a bubble.

UED has already lost nearly two expeditionary fleets here, as if they have fallen into a bottomless abyss, constantly draining their strength.

Perhaps it's because there are too many monsters and demons in the Koprulu Sector; it's like a giant black hole, swallowing every force that dares to conquer it.

Gerald felt a pang of bitterness in his heart as he thought about this.

He looked up at the group of crew members on the bridge who also looked exhausted and desperate, and a strong sense of responsibility welled up in his heart.

He knew he couldn't just give up like this; the expeditionary fleet couldn't fall here, or at least it couldn't be completely annihilated.

Suddenly, Gerrard sat up straight, a renewed fighting spirit rekindling in his eyes.

He took a deep breath and said in a firm and loud voice, "Pass on my order: all troops shall retreat in an orderly manner to the warship repair area."

The last line of defense was deployed with the Andrei, Liberty, and Death Scythe.

We must preserve our strength as much as possible and look for opportunities to break through.

His voice echoed across the bridge, and the crew, upon hearing the order, rallied and began to get to work.

The three warships, Andrei, Liberty Dominator, and Death Scythe, are the backbone of the UED expeditionary fleet.

Even though they had been severely damaged, they still possessed powerful firepower and sturdy defenses, like three steel fortresses.

Gerald hoped that the defensive line formed by these three warships could withstand the enemy's attack and buy the expeditionary fleet a chance to survive.

However, fate did not seem to let them off easily.

Gerrard is now standing at the table of fate once again.

That mysterious and dangerous black mist is like an unknown abyss, hiding countless variables.

The warp drive was their key tool for rapid movement in space, but whether the black mist affected it remains a mystery.

He knew that there was only one way left to evacuate most of the remaining army—to force a warp through the black fog filled with unknown dangers.

This was undoubtedly a high-stakes gamble. He was betting that the black fog wouldn't affect the normal operation of the warp drive, allowing them to successfully traverse this dangerous area. He was also betting that the Protoss fleet, which might be in high orbit, hadn't noticed their actions; otherwise, once discovered, they would face an even more dire situation.

Just as Gerald had predicted, the situation changed when the UED's army used three surrendered battleships as their last line of defense.

On the other side of the battlefield, the enemy's massive, surging army offensive suddenly ceased.

Mitchell, the commander of the "Empire," quickly issued an order to halt the full-scale offensive after noticing signs that the enemy was beginning to retreat.

Even those Titans, known as divine machines, would be annihilated like fragile paper under the devastating firepower of the naval cannons.

In this regard, the "empire" undoubtedly has a great deal of say.

This is not just empty boasting; the cannons equipped on some of the Empire's naval warships are so large that their calibers are even larger than those of the towering Imperial-class Titans.

At this moment, on the deck of an "Imperial" warship, the atmosphere was tense and exciting.

Mitchell, the battle-hardened Black Templar Marshal, was shouting loudly at a group of Black Templar warriors who had just arrived and assembled.

His voice, booming like a bell, clearly reached the ears of every soldier amidst the noisy background: "Next is our battlefield, brothers!"

His words were filled with lofty ambitions, as if he could already see the dawn of victory.

These Black Templar warriors, each clad in heavy and sturdy power armor, gripped deadly weapons tightly in their hands, their eyes revealing a thirst for battle and unwavering loyalty to the Emperor.

They were about to carry out a dangerous but crucial mission—to board and eliminate the enemy's three battered but still threatening battleships using boarding tactics.

"For the Emperor!"

The soldiers shouted in unison, their deafening cries echoing throughout the warship as if declaring war on the enemy.

Meanwhile, UED army soldiers were boarding transport planes in an orderly manner.

Gerald looked at the army soldiers being withdrawn from the battlefield and couldn't help but sigh softly.

A thick black fog permeated the battlefield, acting like an evil phantom that interfered with the radar systems on the warships, blurring the images on the screens. At the same time, it severely weakened the signals of the communication systems, making it possible for any warship that strayed too far from the fleet to lose contact with the command center forever, like a lone boat lost in the dark universe, its fate uncertain.

However, the pace of the battle did not slow down due to these adverse factors.

Suddenly, the Empire's fighters, like angry wasps, launched a full-scale attack on the UED's last stronghold. One after another, fighters roared across the sky, their cannons spitting fire that illuminated the dark universe.

At the same time, several oddly shaped spaceships, flashing with crimson light, plunged into the three UED battleships on the ground.

Seeing this scene, an ominous premonition rippled through Gerald's heart, like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, creating layers of uneasy ripples.

Time seemed to stretch on endlessly at that moment, each second like a sharp knife cutting into Gerrard's heart.

Finally, when the images of the three battleships came through, Gerald felt a wave of dizziness wash over him.

What appeared on the screen was the opponent's super soldier.

“It’s all over… Navigator, notify the fleet.” Gerald watched as the last evacuation ship entered the warship’s hangar. “Initiate warp jump and leave this planet.”