Chapter 452: War and Reunion

Setting Vampire to orbit around the insectoids’ imperial capital, Xia Fei took out several silver metal balls from his spatial ring. These were the repair drones that he had exchanged from the Holy Realm, different from the repair drones which specialized in repairing a ship’s damaged armor. These little things were able to determine the fault of precision in machinery and make the appropriate repairs automatically and were no different from a top maintenance machinist.

These metal balls were about the size of a soybean, and when Xia Fei pushed the button on one of them, the round ball suddenly extended out eight slender and flexible mechanical arms, looking very much like a small spider.

The small spider crowded around the Black Bat radar. It inspected it over a few times and realized that the gaps in the radar system was too narrow for it to fit despite being the size of a bean, making it difficult for it to burrow into the core of the system and begin repairs.

*Snap!*

That small spider suddenly split open and turned into thousands of nanobots that could only be seen under a microscope. This mass of nanobots rapidly climbed into the radar system through the small gaps and carefully repaired the damaged parts.

In less than five seconds, the Black Bat radar’s red indicator light turned green, and the self-diagnosis displayed that repairs were complete! Xia Fei really had no idea how they did it!

With this thought in mind, Xia Fei immediately activated the system and dialed a number.

…

Westwind. The final defensive line of the Panhuman Alliance was surrounded by 1500 insectoid combined fleets.

The fleets under the command of the Alliance were merely half of the insectoids’, and the number of capital ships they had were far fewer than what the insectoids had.

Relying on the protection of the over a thousand asteroid fortresses here in the Westwind, the Alliance prepared to fight to the death. These asteroid fortresses had been hollowed out and reinforced with sturdy steel skeletons. Giant cannons were installed in their exteriors, making them similar to immobile giant warships. Westwind was a defense line that kept the borders between humans and Na’vi safe. However, they had no choice but to adjust the cannons in the other direction, facing the insectoid fleets which were attacking them from within.

Marshall Tai had all their ships situated behind this formation line, utilizing the over a thousand asteroid fortresses as cover, quietly waiting for the first wave of attacks to arrive.

Onboard the Freedom Calvary, the Alliance’s main war command.

“We’re already surrounded. We’ll run into insectoid fleets in thirty minutes of flight no matter which direction we head out from the Westwind defense line.” Pine Williams read the report from the reconnaissance department in a severe tone. “Looks like the insectoids plan to snuff out our final chance of survival once and for all.”

Tai nodded with a profound look. “Did they send anyone to hunt down the civilian ships?”

“No. The insectoids seem to be disinterested in the civilians. Their main priority remains the military fleets.”

Tai sighed. “It’s fine as long as the civilians can successfully escape.”

Williams let out a bitter laugh and shook his head. “I’m afraid that it’s not that simple. There are simply too many civilians, and we’re unable to transport them all successfully. The Na’vi people are only allowing the rich and powerful figures to stay, while those with nothing to their names are turned away by them.”

Tai was silent for a good while. The Na’vi race did not share a close relationship with mankind. The reason why they had accepted to take in human refugees was no doubt for their wealth and technology. The rich businessmen and elites of the Alliance would naturally be able to gain sanctuary in the Na’vi territory and become their second-class citizens. As long as they handed over their wealth and technology, they would at least still have their lives.

However, it seemed like that would mean misery for the civilians. They had hoped that the Na’vi would help protect them, yet all they got was the weight of wealth oppressing them. If they wished to stay, they would have to hand over their riches.

As for the average civilians, even their basic necessities were in doubt due to the ravages of war, so what wealth could they offer in exchange for safety?

The Na’vi did not care about the suffering of the common folks, alas. All the poor and no-ranking civilians, including their warships, were all turned away, and any who refused to leave would instantly be facing the barrel of their cannons.

Tai balled up his fists tightly and said severely, “Only after the civilians have safely departed can the military be at ease to do battle bravely. The military’s existence is not defined by war but protecting everyone. Since we’re no longer able to repel the enemy from invading our territory, then we must do all we can to ensure that everyone will be able to escape safely.”

He buried his face behind two hands and let out a self-deprecating laugh, “I might very well be the biggest failure of a marshall in the Alliance’s history. Ceding land after losing battles upon battles until I’ve lost every Alliance territory.”

The honest Layton barked with knitted eyebrows, “No, you’re not, Tai! Though we’ve lost the war, you’re still a hero!

“Back in the day when the robot army decimated the ancient human civilization, it was the military that failed to protect the people due to their eagerness to fight. That ended up causing the human race to face near extinction. We’re all very certain that, from the very beginning of this war, you fought with the outset of protecting humanity and not blindly went to battle. Under your command, one-third of humanity had successfully escaped! That is a huge deal!”

Williams added, “From the ancient times till now, it’s rare for people to win wars with inferior numbers; right now, the number of insectoid fleets far outstrips ours, and they have dozen times more capital ships than we do. Hardly anyone will have the confidence to win this war under such conditions.”

“From avoiding an all-out conflict to devoting all your energy in ensuring the lives of the common folks, from a military standpoint, it;s no doubt a failure, but from the civilians’ standpoint, billions upon billions of people only feel thankful for your choices. It’s the fact that you used the least amount of forces to protect the most number of civilians that gave humanity the precious seed of revival. Had you chosen to fight the enemy fleets stubbornly head on, I have no doubt that we would not have so many civilians successfully escaping with their lives, and no matter where these people end up in the universe, they would surely be grateful for your actions.”

“Grateful that I’ve let the insectoids run amuck on Panhuman Alliance soil?”

Williams shook his head. “You’re underestimating humanity’s tenacity. As long as the seed remains, we will have the hope of revitalizing. If you chose to take on the enemy straight from the get-go, not only would the military lose terribly, the citizens would also be massacred. You’ve at least managed to save one of the two, and that’s trillions of lives.”

All of a sudden, the signal indicator flashed red, interrupting the discussion of the military triumvirate. The insectoids were finally making their move!

“According to the report from our forward reconnaissance, three hundred insectoid combined fleets are attempting to close in on the left flank of the Westwind defense line. They’re advancing at quite an alarming speed, most likely entering the range of engagement in twenty-five minutes’ time,” the communications officer hurriedly reported.

“This is a feint. Get Admiral Inclair who’s in charge of the left flank to hold their formation. Don’t aggressively commit to an attack,” Tai ordered.

His gaze shifted onto Layton as he loudly announced, “Admiral Layton, I order you to lead thirty fleets and coordinate with the Alliance’s only supercapital ship force, the Freedom Calvary, as a mobile assault unit. Once you’ve located the enemies’ main force, you’ll be in charge of keeping it at bay! Don’t let up even an inch of ground!”

“Understood!” Layton did a proper military salute to Tai as he strode out of the command room, his eyes blazing with resoluteness.

Williams tossed two maple syrup candies into his mouth and chewed as he said, “Tai, you’re finally mobilizing the Freedom Calvary.”

Tai slightly nodded and did not say another word. The Alliance no longer had anywhere else to retreat, and they had relocated as many civilians as they could at this point. Today, it was finally time to take on the insectoids in a no-holds-barred battle!

…

Starlink Corporation’s First Fleet, Horizon, an Amarr company Abaddon-class capital ship.

Avril, who had just woken up, was getting dressed in front of a mirror. Like before, Avril did not put on any foundation and simply applied some natural beauty lotion on her face which protected her skin. She did not need to rely on any cosmetics to make herself look beautiful, and any alteration made to her pretty face would simply be a blasphemy to the word ‘beauty’.

This was a natural beauty, and even the slightest change would only worsen what she was born with.

It was just that the Avril of today had become skinnier than before, and anyone who saw her could not help but feel pity for her. She was not staying in some luxury suite, either, but rather a small and simple cabin. She was sharing this cramped space with three other female servants from Sunset Villa. Whatever space this ship used to have had all been used to accommodate even more civilians, and Avril’s suite was the same.

During the negotiations with the Na’vi yesterday, they had used the opportunity to loot the burning house which was the Panhuman Alliance, agreeing to accept the Jian family as well as the high-level executives of Starlink Corporation into their territory for safe refuge but refusing to extend their protection to the civilians who were onboard the ship.

Avril of course did not abandon these poor souls and went off to enjoy her life. At her insistence, the Starlink Corp’s First Fleet once more took to the sky and headed into the vast unknown.

The civilian fleet was huge, with millions of different spaceships all forming up, enough to obscure the starry sky. However, such a huge fleet only had Starlink Corporation’s First Fleet as escort. The warships, which belonged to other companies and the wealthy, had all chosen to abandon the masses, opting for a moment of peace within Na’vi territory, so the pressure of this escort was unimaginably huge.

Suddenly, Pang Xing came hurtling and scrambling over, causing Avril to press a corner of her sleeping gown anxiously as she looked at him in puzzlement.

“Miss, Miss, it’s Xia Fei! Xia Fei is still alive!” Pang Xing was panting heavily as he said this.

Quickly turning on his satellite communicator, he connected directly to the warship’s Black Bat radar through this device.

The screen display materialized, and Avril saw Xia Fei biting his lip. The two were speechless, neither knowing what they should first say after everything they had experienced.

Just the eye contact they made with each other was enough! Was there any language in this universe that could trump the affectionate gaze between two lovers?

*Tick tick tick!*

The seconds on the electronic timer continued to move as the room went silent. A second passed. Two. Three…

Pang Xing read the room and quietly shut the door behind him. He stood in the corridor and silently wept, seemingly more excited over this reunion than Avril herself.

The lovers stared at each other for several minutes; Xia Fei understood the hardships that Avril had suffered from her frail body, while Avril could also tell from Xia Fei’s steadfast eyes, which were even more tenacious than before, the many thrilling battles he had experienced.

It was a very wondrous feeling. Clearly, neither of them had spoken a word, yet they understood each other perfectly. Perhaps this was what the ancients meant by the saying ‘hearts beating as one’.

The corners of Avril’s lips began to curve upward slightly. She was afraid that Xia Fei would feel hurt seeing how skinny she had gotten, so she tried her best to make herself appear slightly happier.

Xia Fei was also smiling, for he did not wish Avril to know his grueling experience and his soul-stirring life-and-death struggles.

Neither had had a pleasant ordeal, but both wanted to hide that side of them from the other, showing only smiles and positive optimism. This was probably what love was.

“Are you… Are you alright?” Xia Fei softly asked.

He was obviously quite a talkative person, and he had countlessly made jokes to entertain Avril, but Xia Fei was actually stumped for words at this moment, only managing such a plain question after a long time.

Avril nodded. “I’m alright. What about you?”

“I’m alright, too.”

There was no deep proclamation of love or affection, nor was there any tearful recount to unload the burden in their hearts. The conversation, which the two had been looking forward to, began with such a plain line.