Chapter 72: Encirclement in the Asteroid Belt

Seated in the captain’s chair, Qin Xuan tapped her right index finger quickly on the armrest.

“How much longer?”

“Twenty-eight minutes, Major General!”

“Can’t we make it any faster? If we get there late, there’ll be nothing left for us—not even scraps.”

“No way. The asteroid belt’s unpredictable. Any faster and we risk running into trouble!”

“Alright…”

Qin Xuan let out a helpless sigh.

After all, it wasn’t worth risking an accident just to shave a few minutes off their arrival.

If something went wrong on the way and the whole fleet arrived late—or worse, not at all—that would be the real disaster.

Now that would be a major problem.

Besides, Lin Yu had told her not to rush. The enemy was already pinned down and didn’t dare make a move.

So, twenty-eight minutes it was.

Qin Xuan wasn’t usually this impatient, that was more Wang Jianjun’s style, not hers.

But today was different.

Seventeen Klein warships just waiting to be picked off—an incredible achievement for any sub-fleet.

Did anyone really think they could pull a Lin Yu—come back from a stroll with nearly a hundred enemy ships in tow?

What were they thinking?

With so much credit up for grabs, even Qin Xuan was starting to act like Wang Jianjun.

——

On the other side of the asteroid, after catching her breath for a long time…

“Damn it! How did this happen?”

“How did my plan get exposed? Who is that guy, anyway?”

Shivana slammed her fist down hard on the console, her composure slipping.

A few nearby Klein officers hurried to calm her down.

“Lord Shivana, please, collect yourself. The situation is extremely dangerous. We need a plan—fast!”

“A plan? You really think that person—who’s already seen through everything we did—doesn’t have something else prepared?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m afraid… there’s already another fleet approaching from behind us. They’ll show up any minute now.”

A collective gasp rippled through the room.

The officers froze, faces pale.

If a fleet really erupted out of nowhere behind them—well, that would be game over.

There were no other asteroids behind to shield them this time.

Worst of all, they only had seventeen battered warships left. Their assault corvettes—all gone.

Even if they tried defending with their backs to the asteroid,

the enemy could just swing around and hit them from the side. Then both human fleets would catch them in a deadly crossfire.

That was a deathtrap if there ever was one…

“Maybe we’re overthinking this. What if there’s no one behind us at all…”

Someone still clung to a sliver of hope—maybe Shivana was wrong. But then…

“Bad news! Dozens of human warships detected to our rear!”

That sudden report shattered any last hope they had.

Despair settled over the entire bridge like a dark cloud.

——

Qin Xuan kept things simple—no fancy maneuvers.

As soon as they reached the attack position, she had the fleet form up and unleash everything they had.

Railgun rounds poured down like rain, bright blue ion beams flashing through the barrage.

Shivana’s ships fought back,

but they were outnumbered and couldn’t risk bold movements. If they left the cover of the asteroid, Lin Yu’s fleet would open fire from behind.

And with every assault corvette lost,

no matter how strong their Klein warriors were, there was nothing they could do.

The fight was suffocating.

Five minutes into the battle, the situation turned truly hopeless.

Lin Yu had the Fourth Sub-Fleet split into two groups. Both looped around from different directions, maneuvering in wide arcs.

And then…

A three-pronged assault!

Their precise crossfire tore the Klein fleet’s formation apart in seconds.

The outcome was set—there was no turning it around.

Ten minutes later.

All that remained was Shivana’s giant warship. The rest had been obliterated by the three-way crossfire.

Even her flagship was barely holding together.

Its weapons were all but destroyed. The engines sputtered—there was barely any power left.

Over a dozen gaping holes were blasted in the hull.

Except for the bridge and a few small sections, life support had failed everywhere else. Oxygen was leaking out by the ton.

They were hanging on by a thread.

“Colonel! Emergency order from Fleet Headquarters!”

Just as Lin Yu raised his hand to order the fleet to finish it off,

the communications officer shouted out from the bridge crew.

That sudden shout stopped Lin Yu’s hand in midair.

“What’s the order?”

“Fleet Headquarters wants us to cease fire. Also, Vice Admiral Guo Kai from the First Fleet is on his way with two fully equipped elite orbital drop regiments—they’ll arrive in half an hour to secure the two Klein warships.”

“Order the fleet to stop attacking, but keep all alert levels at maximum.”

“Yes, Colonel!”

Most likely, Headquarters figured the Kleins aboard that giant ship had higher rank—maybe even a commanding officer.

Their tactics were actually impressive.

So they rushed to tell Lin Yu to show some restraint.

It made sense. Even putting the crew aside, just capturing a large warship was far more valuable than a medium one.

If they could seize it intact, Headquarters would definitely want to try.

Lin Yu didn’t object to the order.

In fact, when they spared the medium ship earlier, he’d been aiming for the same thing.

Letting the First Fleet handle it was fine too.

Everyone knew the Klein had incredible physical strength, and their outer skeletons made them nearly impervious.

Lin Yu’s fleet didn’t have orbital drop troops on board.

But Outpost Three did have two regiments stationed there.

Whether it was the medium or the large warship, sending people in to capture…

The First Fleet with their elite orbital drop soldiers were obviously the best option.

After all, orbital drop troops had another name—

Heavy Infantry!

——

Half an hour later, Vice Admiral Guo Kai arrived on the battlefield with a sub-fleet.

After a brief exchange with Lin Yu, he got straight to business.

The fight wasn’t technically over yet.

That was why he was here—for the final clean-up.

Soon, squads of assault corvettes poured out from the First Fleet’s carrier, each one ferrying an entire company of orbital drop troops.

The two crippled Klein warships could only watch helplessly as the assault craft drew near…

There was nothing they could do to stop it!

Finally, a few minutes later,

waves of orbital drop soldiers boarded the two heavily damaged warships.