Chapter 235: Losing Both People and Momentum
“Alright, it’s my turn.”
Lu Yuan issued a stern command: “First, shell the escaping enemy ships. Today, I don’t want to see a single Galan ship leave my sight.”
“Yes!”
Xianyang and Chang'an fired simultaneously. Fully charged heavy electromagnetic cannon shells whistled out, striking two Galan warships that were moving at full power and gradually fleeing the battlefield.
And so, everyone once again witnessed the scene that had been shown in the news two weeks prior.
The two warships instantly exploded like popcorn, with high-temperature debris and dust forming two giant funnel-shaped flowers that bloomed in the opposite direction from where the shells had struck. The “petals” extended for more than ten kilometers in a very short time, spreading out into a thin, vast expanse.
However, this time, people were no longer watching a recording, but a live broadcast!
All rumors of “AI-fabricated videos” were instantly debunked at this moment.
The reason these two sunken warships had fled without hesitation earlier was that their captains had received inside information from relatives working in the government.
They knew that the domestic victory news was pure nonsense, they knew the truth of the Battle of Li Star, and they knew the tragic fate of the Punishment Fleet.
Unfortunately, this clear-headedness didn't save their lives.
“Oh my god, were those our warships that just got blown up? Someone tell me, what exactly is going on?!”
The Jialan in the space station began to panic.
“I don’t know! Did something happen?”
“I see! This is all part of the plan! It’s all tactics! We’re setting a bait to lure the Cang Yuan people into exhausting their warships’ energy!”
“So that’s it, haha, they’re so stupid!”
“Stop your damn nonsense!”
Finally, some more intelligent Jialan couldn't take it anymore.
“Warships are equipped with reactors, not disposable batteries. Energy is continuously supplied, so how could it be exhausted after firing once?!”
“Shut up! You shameless traitor!”
“He’s a Star Alliance spy! Everyone, let’s go, smash his dog head!”
As the Jialan civilians began to riot within the space station, the remaining three warships were terrified by the scene on the battlefield. They hastily launched their remaining Moras Missiles, immediately turned at maximum speed, and fled without a second thought.
The chaotic internal fleet communications were now filled with the most vicious curses and insults directed at Prime Minister Nadi. The crew members finally realized how badly they had been deceived by Nadi.
Alas, it was too late.
The attempt to escape was futile.
Not only could they not escape, but they would also fall into defeat faster due to their loss of fighting spirit.
However, even if they wanted to continue fighting, they had already lost the objective conditions for retaliation.
On the three warships, all missiles were expended, and the laser cannon lenses were damaged by the First Air Squadron, essentially rendering them combat-ineffective.
The biggest “disadvantage” of missile weapons was now strikingly obvious.
They are limited in number, designed for a single wave of attack. Once expended in combat, they are gone, unlike laser weapons which can be continuously recharged and used through their reactors.
As the Jialan lost their combat capability, the 10 owls in the air made a U-turn. After intercepting the second wave of Moras Missiles, they began to freely harass the three enemy warships, which were like fish on a chopping board.
At the same time, Xianyang and Chang'an also closed in, switching to their main cannons’ low-power firing mode to precisely destroy the enemy ships’ engine nozzles, preventing them from moving freely.
Streaks of blue laser light swept across the three Galan warships, with moderate power and unhurried rhythm, gradually cutting through their armor and revealing the internal cabin and corridor structures.
Afterward, in front of all New Hope residents, Cang Yuan performed its most skilled and classic routine: passionate boarding by its employees!
Guo Li Cheng and Male God led the charge. One bisected a Galan Soldier blocking their way with a single strike, while the other, wielding Dragon Breath, fired two shots, incinerating two unprepared crewmen into carbon sticks.
Regardless of your will to resist, a show of force comes first.
Those who constantly speak of “slaughter” must surely be prepared to pay the price with their lives, right?
Soon, three boarding teams respectively stormed the bridges of the three warships, taking custody of the prisoners of war who had interrogation value.
“If you want to live, put your hands on your head and lie on the ground!”
At this point, all combat missions were completed.
In the space station, everyone was stunned.
From the Galan warships taking off to their complete silence and loss of combat capability, the total time spent was surprisingly no more than 5 minutes.
Even the usually well-informed media reporters were at a loss for words. They watched as Cang Yuan’s marines continuously escorted prisoners of war from the boarded Galan warships, momentarily unsure what to say.
“Viewers, this was truly a storm-like offensive. We can see that Cang Yuan swiftly destroyed two Galan warships attempting to retreat, and then easily captured the remaining three.”
A relatively neutral media outlet reported this.
“The Jialan were utterly powerless! They are not as warlike as they claim in their propaganda! This battle happened right before our eyes, the Jialan can no longer hide it. It’s time to expose their consistent lies, it’s time to re-evaluate the strength of this faction!”
A host under Anya, who had long been displeased with the Jialan, spoke passionately.
“I don’t know if Prime Minister Nadi foresaw this scene, but next, the entire Galan Commonwealth is likely to fall into big trouble.”
“This defeat is bound to trigger a series of political upheavals.”
This report came from a more serious media outlet.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the facts are clear. If you followed the trend and bought cangyuan coin before—I can only say, good luck! Cherish your life, stay away from the rooftop!”
A reporter who had consistently held cangyuan coin winked at the audience at the end of the program, his upturned Corners of mouth unable to be suppressed.
Through the superluminal communication base station on New Hope Space Station, news of the fleet's disastrous defeat quickly spread back to the Galan capital—Planet Batra.
Inside the Prime Minister's office, Prime Minister Nadi first propped his elbows on the wide desk, closed his eyes, and clutched his head in pain, then suddenly stood up, his whole body erupting in rage.
“Idiots! A bunch of idiots!”
“Why didn’t they retreat in unison? Why didn’t they run when they saw Cang Yuan’s warships? Why did three warships still charge forward to their deaths?!”
“Why?!”
The Prime Minister’s secretary stood with his hands behind his back, staring at the tips of his shoes, not daring to look directly at his master, nor daring to answer his questions.
Bang!
Suddenly, his office door was pushed open with great force from the outside.
“Who?!”
“Because they simply didn’t know how dangerous an enemy they were charging towards!”
The person who entered was the leader of the opposition party, a figure with considerable influence in the parliament.
“Nadi, you refused to disclose the truth of the attack on Li Star, constantly demanding that the media fabricate lies! It’s one thing to deceive those commoners at home, but you even deceived your own Soldiers! You are truly incorrigible!”
“Didn’t you think they would encounter the Cang Yuan fleet again? Didn’t you think Cang Yuan would attack and seek revenge on us?!”
“Our navy was completely unprepared, still naively believing they could easily win with Moras Missiles!”
“Now all lies have been exposed face-to-face before the Star Alliance citizens, and we have to admit defeat! Our naval warships have already suffered a thirty percent loss, and the number of ships capable of performing missions abroad is less than half of what it was two weeks ago! Nadi, how will you explain this to the parliament now? Think carefully!”
The opposition party leader slammed the door shut and left.
Nadi remained silent for a long time, then looked at his secretary.
“The top priority is still to blockade the news from all citizens at home!”
“Yes—”
Compared to their Prime Minister, the Jialan who had previously been singing and dancing in celebration in front of the victory propaganda stage were clearly in more pain.
The impact of the news footage was simply too great, causing them to refuse to accept the truth.
“Illusion, it’s all an illusion! That’s not real!”
“Right! It must also be an AI-fabricated fake video!”
“New Hope and Cang Yuan are in cahoots! They conspired together to broadcast fake videos, all to completely tarnish the reputation of our great motherland!”
“It’s truly shameless! These Cang Yuan bastards, we must make them pay the price!”
“Right! Pay the price!”
“I remember one of their people was just there, right? Go teach them a lesson! Break their legs!”
The exasperated commoners remembered the player who had been the previous propagandist and began to search for him in the crowd.
“Found him! He’s right there! He actually dares not to run!”
These people naively thought they could help the army regain face.
The targeted player was not flustered; instead, he was a little excited.
“What do you want to do? I warn you, for your own personal safety, don’t mess around!”
Facing the aggressively approaching angry Jialan, this “businessman” player, who had already leveled up to 8 through quests and was a real-life combat enthusiast, assumed a standard boxing guard stance.
Although his appearance wasn’t special, he was actually wearing special equipment under his coat, delivered by the wealth key merchant fleet on behalf of the Executive Officer during the last mission.
Artificial muscle-powered soft armor from Emerald Life Science!