532: An ambush? A firefight!

“The main force is preparing to enter Subspace, advancing according to the echelon sequence.”

Li Yang's order spread through the communicator to every starship. The Flagship adjusted its posture first, aiming its bow at the still-stable, open Spatial Rift.

The next second, the steel torrent surged into the tunnel like blood entering a vein. Tens of thousands of Imperial starships formed a dense matrix according to their combat formation, their silver-white hulls disappearing one after another within the energy halo at the edge of the rift.

Li Yang only left thirty heavy starships to guard the rift entrance, responsible for vigilance and subsequent support. The rest of the forces were fully committed to Subspace.

Under the dark purple stellar curtain of Subspace, the starship fleet resembled an army that had suddenly appeared. The searchlights on their hulls pierced the Void Realm, carving bright trails through the dark matter flow.

“Spatial parameters are stable. No abnormal fluctuations detected.”

The Technician's report came through the communication channel.

“No signs of Insect Race activity have been detected within the scanning range.”

Li Yang stood in the Command Center, tapping his finger lightly on the holographic star map.

“All fleets spread out in a fan shape, maintain combat readiness. If the Insect Race is discovered, fire immediately without asking for instructions.”

“Understood!”

The starship fleet quickly dispersed, like a massive net being spread. Detectors wove a dense monitoring network in the Void Realm.

However, after more than ten minutes, apart from the faint tremor when the dark matter flow occasionally swept past the hulls, the entire Subspace was eerily quiet.

Forget insect ships and the Insect Race; not even a trace of residual biological signal was detected. It was as if the swarms of insects that had been frantically intercepting them moments ago had suddenly evaporated in this Void Realm.

“Strange, they couldn't have disappeared into thin air.”

He Dong frowned deeply, staring at the signal area on the screen that remained blank.

“Could the power of the spatial collapse bomb have scared them off?”

Li Yang remained silent, his gaze fixed on the three-dimensional star map returned by the detectors.

Just then, the Vanguard Fleet suddenly sent a report.

“Report! Abnormal celestial body discovered in the XX direction!”

The image of that “planet” instantly appeared on the holographic screen.

It floated in the dark purple stellar curtain, with a diameter of tens of thousands of kilometers. Its surface was devoid of rock and soil; the entire sphere was wrapped in a layer of wriggling grayish-green mucus. Sacs of varying sizes constantly bulged on the mucus surface, and when they burst, they released a purple mist with a fishy odor.

Countless thick biological tentacles extended from the mucus, swaying slowly around the celestial body like blood vessels rooted in the Void Realm.

“This is not a natural planet.”

Li Yang's voice deepened, his finger tracing the regularly contracting sacs in the image.

“Looking at the structure... it seems like an Insect Race nest, specifically a gigantic Mother Nest.”

“Could this possibly be their nest?”

He Dong stared at the planet wrapped in grayish-green mucus on the holographic screen, his brow slightly furrowed.

The sacs on the planet's surface continued to swell and burst regularly. The purple mist diffused in the Void Realm, carrying an unsettling biological stench.

Li Yang's gaze swept over the scanning data bar, his finger pausing for a moment on the words “Life Signal: None,” and he said in a deep voice.

“Although it looks like a nest, the strange thing is that the scan results show no active biological signals inside the entire celestial body. Even if it was once a nest, it has long since been abandoned.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the screen suddenly emitted a piercing alarm sound. The previously blank detection area was instantly covered with dense red dots.

The red dots surged from all directions like a tide, forming an airtight encirclement around the periphery of the starship fleet.

Every red dot represented a member of the Insect Race. At this moment, the screen was entirely red. Based on the data, the preliminary estimate was trillions of them.

“Good heavens!”

He Dong slapped his thigh abruptly. Instead of panicking, Battle Intent ignited in his eyes.

“I knew it couldn't be this quiet! So they were waiting here for us to walk into their trap!”

Li Yang watched the constantly shrinking encirclement on the screen, quickly sliding his finger across the tactical panel to call up the preset defensive formation.

Although the Soldiers on the bridge had slightly constricted pupils, their movements were flawless. They quickly switched weapon modes, calibrated energy shields, and notified all fleets to maintain simultaneous readiness. A series of operations flowed seamlessly.

“Why panic?”

Li Yang's voice was as calm as ever, even carrying a hint of imperceptible mockery.

“They thought hiding would catch us off guard? Perfect. It saves us the trouble of having to search for them.”

He looked up at He Dong, a cold, sharp arc curving his lips.

“Notify all fleets: deploy the defensive formation! Advanced starships prioritize the outer perimeter, and open fire with maximum power!”

“Yes!”

As He Dong answered, he was already shouting the command into the communicator.

The starship fleet was like activated steel behemoths. With slight adjustments to their hulls, the previously defensive formation instantly deployed. The Main Cannons at the bows began charging. A dark blue light connected into a single mass in the darkness, forming a stark confrontation with the red dots of the insect swarm on the perimeter.

Even facing the desperate situation of being completely surrounded by trillions of the Insect Race, in their eyes, it was merely a hunt that had arrived early.

“Open fire!”

Tens of thousands of Imperial starships simultaneously lit up their muzzles. Blazing white laser beams, missiles with fiery trails, and dark blue particle streams poured out like a torrential rain, weaving a destructive network of fire across the dark purple stellar curtain.

The universal-class starship took the lead, its Main Cannon at the bow firing with a roar. A purple-black energy beam, a hundred meters in diameter, acted like the Grim Reaper's scythe. Wherever it passed, insect ships exploded one after another like paper, and swaths of flying insect-type Insect Race members were instantly annihilated. Even space was violently churned by this power.

This was the true strength of the Empire's Advanced starships; every time they opened fire meant the complete clearing of an area.

The galaxy-class starship followed closely. Although their firepower was not as overwhelming as the universe class, they excelled in density and precision.

A single energy beam could precisely penetrate the insect ship's carapace. A volley of fire could blast dozens of heavily armored Insect Race members into pieces.

Facing the insect ships' counterattack, while the Shields withstood the Acid Attack, the Main Cannons locked onto the next target. The overall advantage was overwhelming, and in the back-and-forth exchange, the insect ships always paid double the price.

However, at the other end of the battlefield, the pressure suddenly increased.

The Super-Star and Stellar-class starships of the various Galaxy Guard Divisions were smaller, and their firepower and shield strength were far inferior to the main battleships. Facing the frantic assault of the insect swarm, it often took several focused volleys to destroy one insect ship, while they themselves were frequently hit by the Insect Race's acid and Massive Pincers.

The flank shield of a Stellar-class starship was penetrated by several Acid Cannon shots. The hull was instantly corroded with several large holes, and thick smoke, mixed with alarm sounds, poured out from the cabin.

Another Super-Star starship was clung to by hundreds of gigantic Insect Race members. The hull surface was gnawed with dense indentations, a sight that made hearts pound.

Even so, the Imperial Fleet's formation remained unbroken.

The main battleships tore open gaps in the perimeter and continuously provided fire support to the Guard Division starships. Damaged starships retreated in an orderly fashion, replaced by subsequent echelons. The entire battlefield operated efficiently like a precise machine amidst the gunfire and roars.