After hearing Xiao Yu’s arrangements, the members of the Military Committee stood up together with Luka Two, bowed to Xiao Yu, and said respectfully, “Master, please rest assured, we will definitely complete the mission.”
Every one of them wore an expression of excitement. They knew very well that this battle plan was not only an attempt by Xiao Yu, but also a test for them. If they could display combat strength up to Xiao Yu’s standards in this war, then it was certain that they would be entrusted with more missions in the future, and their standing in Xiao Yu’s eyes would rise even further.
After bidding farewell to Xiao Yu, they left the conference room and boarded their respective transport ships, making their way to the Nation-Class flagship of the intelligent beings’ military forces, the Heaven’s Kingdom.
The Heaven’s Kingdom was an average Nation-Class warship, weaker than ships like the China, the America, and the Russia, but stronger than the Indonesia and the Thailand. It was equipped with only Four-Dimensional shields and carried no space weapons.
In the pitch-black starry sky, a hundred billion kilometers from the star, a total of five hundred thousand ships, carrying nearly two hundred million soldiers, along with logistical ships, supply ships, maintenance ships, and so on, quietly departed, heading for a location three hundred billion kilometers away.
After this period of development, the total number of intelligent beings under Xiao Yu’s command had grown to nearly fifty billion. Accordingly, the number of Home-class ships inhabited by intelligent beings had increased from sixty one to seventy one. At this moment, these Home-class ships were packed with crowds, all praying for the soldiers heading to the front.
“To protect our home, to safeguard our peaceful lives, these soldiers march bravely to war. They will surely destroy our enemies, and victory will surely belong to us.”
“Let us pray for them together.”
A solemn and reverent atmosphere filled the Home-class ships, but within the Heaven’s Kingdom’s formation, there was an air of excitement.
“Our luck is incredible. Who would have thought that in our military careers we’d get a real battle?”“Twenty years of training, and now finally a chance to put it to use. Hmph… Molian Civilization, was it? Prepare to face the arrival of the Divine Ark Civilization.”
“Kid, do well out there. Don’t disgrace our Species Number Eight.”
Inside a County-Class ship, more than two hundred soldiers sat at their stations, operating their instruments with serious expressions, yet their excited chatter floated through the air.
“This is the first war I’ve initiated myself. I hope the outcome won’t disappoint me.” Xiao Yu thought silently. After a moment, he issued the first order since the war began.
“Special Operations Fifth Unit, Third Subdivision, move out.”
“Yes, sir.”
A force of one thousand soldiers from the Dwarf Race received the order and immediately assembled at the airlocks of their assigned vessels. They would not follow the Heaven’s Kingdom fleet to the hidden location three hundred billion kilometers away, they had another mission from Xiao Yu.
The airlock doors opened, revealing the darkness of space. These special operations soldiers, equipped only with personal life-support systems and without any ships, quietly departed, using the blackness of space as cover, stealthily infiltrating toward the star system a hundred billion kilometers away.
This was a team tasked with a special mission. Their goal was to infiltrate the star system, locate returning mineral transport ships, follow them all the way to the Molian Civilization’s main homeworld, and then transmit the coordinates to Xiao Yu for the next stage of his plan.
Due to their small stature and difficulty of detection, the Dwarf Race was the natural choice for this mission. In truth, finding such tiny targets in the endless dark void was extremely difficult. Their life-support equipment had been specially modified so as not to reflect visible light, with excellent absorption of various bands of invisible light, making radar beams useless against them. Moreover, the equipment could also interfere with tachyon detection devices to a certain extent.
The resources carried in their life-support equipment could sustain them for three months. Resupplying was also quite convenient, decay engines could use any matter as fuel. Even in the void, without any form of external supply, they could dismantle nonessential equipment for fuel to keep themselves alive.
This was the special operations unit within the intelligent beings’ military, the soldiers with the harshest selection criteria, the strictest training, and the most formidable combat capabilities. They possessed unyielding will and excelled at completing missions in all kinds of terrain and situations.
Among the two hundred million soldiers in the army, there were only one hundred thousand such special forces soldiers. These one hundred thousand were divided into ten brigades, each consisting of ten divisions, reporting directly to the Military Committee and Xiao Yu. At present, the one Xiao Yu commanded was the Fifth Special Operations Unit.
Faint exhaust plumes trailed from the back of their personal life-support equipment, almost imperceptible, so faint, in fact, that even Xiao Yu had to set his detection systems to very high power to detect them, let alone the Molian Civilization a hundred billion kilometers away. Of course, such weak exhaust came with equally weak acceleration, but this acceleration would be sustained for a month, eventually reaching a speed of one thousand kilometers per second before quietly slipping into the star system.
To prevent these special forces from being captured and exposing his presence, Xiao Yu had also installed a considerable quantity of negative matter in their life-support equipment. If exposed, the soldiers would immediately activate the reaction system, and everything, including their own bodies, would be annihilated by the negative matter, vanishing from the observable universe without leaving a trace.
Xiao Yu did not doubt the loyalty of these special forces soldiers. He believed they would follow his orders strictly. But just in case, if they were exposed and failed to activate the system themselves, Xiao Yu would do it for them.
“Report, Special Operations Fifth Unit, Third Division, No. 308 has reached the outer edge of the system. I have a small asteroid approximately twenty meters in radius ahead of me. Requesting permission to alter the asteroid’s trajectory and use it as cover to enter the system for comprehensive reconnaissance.”
“Request approved. Good luck, No. 308.” the Third Division’s captain replied promptly.
“Understood. I will complete the mission.” No. 308 then quietly adjusted his course, latched onto the asteroid, and engaged the propulsion system in his life-support gear. The asteroid’s trajectory gradually shifted, heading toward the inner system.
“Report, Special Operations Fifth Unit, Third Division, No. 119 requests to leave the ecliptic plane and infiltrate from below the system.”
“Request approved. Good luck, No. 119.”
“Report…”
All one thousand special forces soldiers submitted different infiltration plans based on their respective positions. Upon receiving the captain’s approval, each made their move, quietly slipping into the star system.
“Not good, Molian Civilization reconnaissance satellite detected three thousand kilometers ahead. Currently undetected, but probability of detection within the next minute is at eighty three percent. No cover available in the vicinity. Requesting permission for self-destruction, Special Operations Fifth Unit, Third Division, No. 235.”
“…Request approved. No. 235, the Master will not forget your contributions, and your family will be well cared for.”
“Captain… farewell.”
This was the last message sent by No. 235 before communications were cut. The Third Division’s captain knew No. 235 had activated the self-destruct system, releasing enough negative matter to annihilate itself silently and leave no trace.
No. 235 was the first intelligent being to die since the war began. Xiao Yu quickly received the report and let out a soft sigh in his heart.
Such was the cruelty of war, especially for special forces, whose environments were far more perilous. This meant they had to possess nerves of steel, caring nothing for their own lives. Their hearts could hold only one goal, completing the mission. They could consider nothing else. Only such people could be considered qualified special forces soldiers.
“Special Operations Fifth Unit, Third Division, No. 235…” Xiao Yu wrote the first name on the casualty list.
“No. 308 infiltration successful, no reaction detected. This is the footage I observed…”
“No. 119 infiltration successful, no reaction detected. This is the footage I observed…”
“No. 853 infiltration successful, no reaction detected…”
One image after another was transmitted via encrypted tachyon communications directly into Xiao Yu’s mind. He quietly analyzed everything while issuing order after order.
“All special forces personnel, listen to my command, each of you is to approach a mineral transport ship at an opportune time. If possible, infiltrate the ship’s interior. If not, conceal yourselves near its exhaust ports or underbelly and follow it to the Molian Civilization’s main homeworld. Maintain stealth during the entire process. If discovered, or if the probability of discovery exceeds sixty percent, immediately activate the self-destruct system.”
The areas near the exhaust ports and the underside of a ship were the most weakly monitored parts of the hull. Xiao Yu had reached this conclusion after analyzing a vast amount of data.
“Orders complete. Special forces soldiers, good luck. Your families and friends are watching you. They await your victorious return…”