This is really not mechanical ascension
Chapter 556 - 292: The Thousand Gates Main Cannon? What to Do...

Chapter 556: Chapter 292: The Thousand Gates Main Cannon? What to Do...

The command center was silent, the dazzling fireworks on the screen gradually fading away as the remnants of the Judger Civilization’s Judger Fleet hurriedly fled.

The United Fleet began to clear the battlefield, with various types of small spacecraft streaming out of the main ship’s hangar.

"So impressive..." Li Ming slowly exhaled, only Dark Night could withstand such an intense torrent of energy.

The fleets of a high-level civilization are more carefully segmented; specialized Bombardment Ships carry Energy Gun Turrets akin to those used on main ships, designed specifically for Energy Attacks.

After all, there are no invisible universal laws stipulating that only main ships can mount such powerful turrets.

It’s just that in other respects, these vessels fall short of main ships, in aspects such as Defense Shields or cruising speed.

And in this kind of ambush, a Joint Shield was already in place; the thickness of the Energy Shields in the formation measured over ten meters thick, and ordinary bombardments could not possibly penetrate them.

"At a rough estimate, this is just one-third of the United Fleet’s firepower," Ulrich remarked, still in shock: "There must be no fewer than a thousand Main Ship Energy Cannons."

"Over a thousand main cannons... that’s truly... terrifying," Li Ming said in a hollow tone – frightening to hear, and of course, frightening in reality as well.

Warships, main ships, main cannons – these things are not like life forms.

A life form must reach certain levels of development potential to become an A-level.

But these things, as long as you have the technology and materials, time can take care of them; for a high-level civilization, they are incredibly cost-effective. This is also the advantage of massed combat tactics.

If high-level civilizations did not have such suppression methods, those A-level life forms that committed major crimes wouldn’t end up mingling in the Red River Star Stream.

Ulrich paused, wondering why he didn’t sense fear from the tone of Azure Dragon but rather some anticipation?

His heart tightened, and he couldn’t help but add, "There’s also the Subspace Folding Fortress – that’s Asimara’s trump card."

Li Ming remained silent, and the others did not speak. Monroe supplemented, "In a head-on fight, the likelihood of us breaking through is virtually zero, with a death probability over 95%."

"Head-on fight?" Li Ming shook his head subconsciously, but suddenly became aware of the quiet atmosphere around him, leaving him speechless, "You guys don’t really think I plan to break through head-on, do you?"

"Isn’t that suicide? Am I that stupid?"

Hearing him say that, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Logically, no sane person would think of directly breaking through, but in their eyes, Azure Dragon is hardly a sane person.

"So how are we going to approach the Core Relics?" Jesaya couldn’t help but ask, "Even with the assistance of Lord Dark Night, we may not be able to penetrate a firepower network of this intensity."

"If we can find a way to sneak in, there’s still a slim chance," Ulrich suggested. This is also a weak point in fleet-level combat; once advanced life forms breach the interior of a fleet, no matter how numerous, the ships can only be at a disadvantage.

Energy Attacks can’t turn corners or identify friend from foe; firing wildly within one’s own ranks would result in heavy losses.

But the battlefield changes in the blink of an eye, and specific responses depend on the situation.

"But the United Fleet also has A-level life forms," Jesaya added.

"Dark Night will not make a move," Li Ming shook his head, his eyes flickering, "As for how to get in..."

It’s not so much the A-level life forms but the S-level life forms that Feder mentioned that are key.

Everyone looked solemn, and even the usually rash Sandro had nothing to say at this moment.

If he were thrown into the energy torrent from before, not even residue would remain.

"There’s really nothing good about these core relics," Sandro said awkwardly, scratching his head next to the metal wall.

"Are you all afraid?" Benny couldn’t help but blurt out, a bit impatiently.

"This isn’t your place to talk, get lost," Sandro replied angrily, "Have you forgotten how scared you were before? If you aren’t afraid, you go ahead."

Benny didn’t engage with him, just looked towards Azure Dragon.

"Don’t rush, isn’t there plenty of time? Everyone, go back and rest," Li Ming said noncommittally, and without discussing the next combat plans, he let everyone go their separate ways.

The ambush was fresh in everyone’s minds, their moods somber, with no desire for further discussion, everyone returned to their quarters.

But he himself immediately sought out Dark Night and found a secluded place to sit down, then got straight to the point:

"Lord Dark Night, I might need to disappear for a few days; I want to give you a heads-up,"

"Disappear?" Dark Night frowned, "Where are you planning to go?"

"I’m preparing to execute a secret plan, but don’t worry, it won’t take too long," Li Ming emphasized.

"Hmm..." Dark Night pondered, clearly resistant to the proposal.

All the materials had been purchased, and Azure Dragon was about to leave temporarily; though unlikely to be a case of absconding with funds, it still made him wary.

"Is it necessary for you to leave?" he pressed, which was as good as expressing his stance.

"I must leave; it’s urgent," Li Ming’s resolve was firm, then he added tactfully, "Actually, I didn’t need to tell you in advance."

Dark Night’s brow furrowed slightly, indeed that was true; the very next day after meeting him, Azure Dragon had upgraded his camouflage equipment and could even contain his information state.

This meant he couldn’t monitor Azure Dragon’s whereabouts in real-time; if Li Ming left quietly, he might truly not notice.

"Let’s do this: I can leave my Combat Mecha with you, or something else..." Li Ming further suggested.

After a moment’s thought, Dark Night shook his head and said, "No need, just give me a timeline.