The Molian Civilization’s computer systems operated on a mixed-radix architecture, a system with exceptionally high security performance. In fact, if Xiao Yu, an electronic lifeform, did not exist within his own quantum computer system, then the quantum computer system would still be far inferior to their computers.
If it hadn’t been for the data interface the Molian Civilization provided to the 50,000 ships, Xiao Yu would have had virtually no chance of launching an intrusion.
This successful infiltration was the result of a combination of technical strategy and social engineering. In other words, even though Xiao Yu was a digital lifeform, from a purely technical standpoint, he would have been unable to breach the Molian Civilization’s systems directly.
However, although Xiao Yu had successfully penetrated their systems, it had also placed those 50,000 ships in a highly dangerous situation. After all, the breach was carried out through their data interface. Even with his immense power within the digital realm, Xiao Yu could not entirely eliminate the danger. All he could do was delay its eruption.
The moment the Molian Civilization realized that the attack was originating from this interface, those 50,000 warships would be exposed. That also meant the instant they followed Xiao Yu’s command and broke camouflage, the interface would be severed and Xiao Yu would lose control over the vast number of bases and fortresses.
For all these reasons, Xiao Yu had no choice but to act swiftly. Before any accidents could occur, he needed to destroy all the base and fortress forces currently under his control.
So, once full-scale war broke out, Xiao Yu launched a comprehensive and indiscriminate assault on the Molian Civilization’s ships and bases, commanding his vast fleet of 550,000 vessels.
Against the backdrop of a slowly rotating gas giant, a brutal and intense battle raged.
The war had taken on a bizarre configuration. The two sides’ ships, distinguished by vastly different designs, formed two opposing camps entangled in combat.
However, all of Xiao Yu’s County-Class and larger ships were equipped with four-dimensional shields. In terms of defense, Xiao Yu’s ships were not inferior to those of the Molian Civilization. Indeed, in some respects, they even surpassed them.
Faced with this situation, Xiao Yu crafted a corresponding strategy. Specifically, multiple County-Class ships would gang up to entangle one of the enemy’s Town-Class ships. Meanwhile, City-Class ships would suppress enemy County-Class ships, keeping their firepower in check and preventing them from disengaging. The vast number of Town-Class and Village-Class ships would serve as the main assault force, recklessly charging in at the cost of their own destruction to drain the Molian ships’ shield energy and ultimately bring them down.
As for the Molian Civilization’s City-Class and Province-Class vessels, Xiao Yu didn’t have an ideal solution.
To confront the several dozen City-Class ships, he dispatched at least ten of his own City-Class ships to each one, supported by thousands of small ships. For the sole Province-Class ship, the Molian fleet’s flagship, Xiao Yu chose not to send in any large ships at all. Instead, he deployed a specialized fleet of 100,000 small ships to deal with it.
This move was made out of necessity. That flagship of the Molian Civilization was simply too powerful, even the Yanjing was nowhere near its match. In a head-on clash, while the Yanjing might not be destroyed immediately thanks to its four-dimensional shield, it would eventually succumb once the shield was breached. Xiao Yu had no choice but to adopt a war of attrition, countering quality with overwhelming quantity.
The disparity in civilization level would be compensated for by sheer numbers.
Xiao Yu observed the space above one of the moons orbiting the massive planet, where thousands of ships were locked in fierce combat. Flashes, beams, and explosions flew in all directions, and debris from destroyed ships littered the battlefield. Of all the wreckage, ninety-nine percent came from Xiao Yu’s own ships, destroyed in the chaos.
In truth, of the thousands of ships in that theater, only five belonged to the Molian Civilization. The largest among them was a City-Class ship; the rest were County-Class.
To deal with these five ships, Xiao Yu had deployed over thirty City-Class ships, more than a thousand County-Class ships, and several thousand small ships into a specialized fleet to hold them there.
Amid the twisted mass of artificial constructs covering the surface of the moon, the ships wove between each other, unleashing powerful weapons in rapid succession.
The five Molian ships formed a simple battle formation, anchored with their backs to the moon. In front of them stood the thousands of ships commanded by Xiao Yu. At the forefront were the thirty-plus City-Class vessels. Their four-dimensional shields absorbed most of the attacks from the five defending ships, allowing them to serve as the primary offensive force. The thousand-plus County-Class ships scattered along the flanks took on support and suppressive roles, while the small ships, disregarding casualties entirely, focused solely on pouring out firepower.
With the firepower of several thousand ships intersecting in a dense web, wave after wave of weapons formed a torrential barrage. And yet, the five defending ships stood like rocks in a raging sea, unshaken by the onslaught. Not only did they hold their ground, but they also counterattacked with terrifying precision, each volley inflicting severe damage on Xiao Yu’s forces.
“Level 5 Civilization warships… they’re terrifying,” Xiao Yu thought in quiet alarm.
On the surface of the moon, numerous land-based artillery platforms had been installed. Many space fortresses orbited around it as well. But under Xiao Yu’s data stream assault, these systems had all been rendered inert. They were unable to launch attacks or even activate shields to protect themselves.
These installations had become little more than target practice. Xiao Yu showed no mercy, while directing the main fleet to bombard the five Molian ships, he also allocated a portion of his forces to sweep through the orbital and surface installations, destroying them completely before they could recover once the data interface was cut off.
The brutal war pushed Xiao Yu’s computational capabilities to the limit. On the invisible battlefield of cyberspace, his calculations entangled with those of the Molian systems. He laid down logic deadlocks and conflicting data to drain their computing power while masking his own presence, ensuring he wouldn’t be discovered. On the physical battlefield, more than 500,000 of Xiao Yu’s 550,000 ships were already committed to combat.
The five Molian ships continued to unleash their brutal firepower. Suddenly, one of Xiao Yu’s City-Class lead assault ships showed a ripple in its four-dimensional shield. The anomaly immediately caught Xiao Yu’s attention. He quickly pulled the ship back from the frontlines to a safer distance.
“Level 5 Civilization… even with only four County-Class ships and one City-Class ship, they can almost break through my four-dimensional shields…” Xiao Yu was deeply shaken by the firepower the Molian fleet displayed.
The bombardment raged on for another half hour. Finally, one of the County-Class ships in the Molian formation appeared to reach its limit. Its shield flared brightly, then disappeared altogether. With its defenses gone, it was instantly swallowed by the sea of incoming fire and exploded into fragments.
This was the first County-Class ship from the Molian side that Xiao Yu had successfully destroyed, a victory that greatly lifted his spirits.
“All five of those ships have endured similar levels of attack. Now that one has fallen, the rest shouldn’t last much longer.”
As expected, after another hour of concentrated fire, the remaining three County-Class ships were destroyed in succession. Only the lone City-Class ship remained, stubbornly holding on.
Now freed from the distraction of the other ships, Xiao Yu’s fleet concentrated its thousands of weapons solely on the final Molian vessel. After a full thirty minutes of continuous bombardment, it too was finally brought down.
With its destruction, this moon fell completely into Xiao Yu’s hands. He felt no sympathy. Instead, he immediately commanded his ships to fire several ultra-high-yield elemental decay bombs onto the moon’s surface. The resulting chain reaction triggered massive earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, annihilating all remaining military infrastructure.
Scenes were playing out across the battlefield. Xiao Yu, leveraging his overwhelming numbers, was suppressing the qualitative superiority of the Molian Civilization.
These ten thousand ships likely represented the majority of the Molian Civilization’s forces stationed here. At least up to this point in the war, Xiao Yu had not seen any reinforcements arriving from the inner star system.
“By Level 4 standards, to suppress 50,000 ships would require a Level 5 fleet of about 800 vessels. Which means, inside the star system, there must still be at least 800 ships, more likely around 2,000. These would be spread out among various bases, performing internal defensive duties.”
“The number of space fortresses and defense platforms in the inner system is far fewer than in the outer zone. That means once I destroy this first layer of 10,000 ships and break through the outer defenses, I only need to eliminate the bases and forces stationed on the second gas giant. After that, I’ll have essentially won…”
“The three rocky planets are probably their logistical bases. The defenses there shouldn’t be too strong.”
“This war… I have a high chance of winning.”
Having carefully analyzed all available data, Xiao Yu reached his conclusion.