Simali began to concentrate all the stronghold's energy.
When the energy reached 100%, Simali channeled it through an energy conduit he had sketched towards the specified coordinates.
Planet E had a thin, almost nonexistent atmosphere, and the same was true underground.
The stronghold was also airless, a near-vacuum environment.
Simali only needed a thin thread to guide the energy.
This thread wasn't ordinary; it needed to withstand extremely high voltage.
Simali aimed to release all the stronghold's energy in a short burst towards that point.
He removed some superconducting material from other electrical devices to guide the energy transmission.
All preparations were complete.
Simali increased the current to its maximum.
A tremendous amount of energy surged, then flowed into the superconducting material.
Normally, without contact with other matter, this wouldn't create a discharge.
However, when the superconducting material contacted the coordinates, the current was absorbed.
The coordinates weren't any object; it was merely a point in space.
Simali himself was astonished. While he followed the instructions, it was based on his trust in Luna, not a full understanding of the actions.
He couldn't see where the energy went.
The area was a near-vacuum.
Unless the energy-absorbing entity was within the space itself.
He envisioned the space as a bag, with the energy-absorbing entity inside.
But he'd never heard of this technology.
Projecting something into space required spatial superposition or the ability to create a subspace.
This involved advanced spatial manipulation, currently beyond the Federation's capabilities.
A nagging feeling of unease arose, though he couldn't articulate it.
Most importantly, how did Luna possess this technology?
Once the stronghold's energy was depleted, the entire power system failed, plunging the area into darkness.
Fortunately, they were used to the darkness; no one reacted.
But in the blackness, a pale blue glow emanated from the designated point.
The point was directly in front of Simali; he had the clearest view.
Something seemed to be emerging from that point.
It wasn't a machine but a form of energy.
Simali watched, his eyes wide, as the energy entity finally emerged from the tiny point. Its form was indescribable, incredibly smooth, resembling a lifeform, yet not one.
It moved, seemingly "looking" at Simali.
Simali shivered, instinctively taking a half-step back.
Then, the entity flew outward.
It effortlessly passed through the stronghold's walls, like a ghost.
Just as Simali breathed a sigh of relief, the point began to emit more identical entities.
This time, not one, but many, emerging in succession.
The point, previously invisible to Simali's eyes in the microscopic realm, seemed to have magnified slightly.
More entities flowed out freely.
More and more.
Hundreds!
Thousands!
Ten thousands!
Then Simali couldn't count them anymore.
Countless entities poured from the point, flying towards the outside of the stronghold.
...
Outside the stronghold.
Reeves waited complacently for the stronghold's fall.
He was in no hurry; past experience had taught him that when these small star nation strongholds fell, no one would come to their aid.
These people lacked any sense of unity.
Their stubborn resistance was simply due to their superior numbers.
Over the years of warfare on Planet E, the Federation had lost 580,000 soldiers, while the Star Nation alliance had lost over 1.7 billion.
And those were just the deaths on a single small planet.
The deaths in the surrounding space must have been in the hundreds of millions.
And this was just a small battle within a larger war zone.
According to his intelligence, the overall casualty ratio in the war remained consistently around 1:6000 (Federation: Star Nation Alliance).
One Federation soldier's death meant 6000 Star Nation soldiers had died.
Even if these soldiers were free, the mechs and warships they operated weren't.
If the Federation had truly pushed forward, these star nations wouldn't have lasted this long.
Since the Federation didn't utilize clones on the battlefield, each soldier was a Federation citizen. To ensure their safety, the Federation was extremely cautious on the battlefield.
"Once we secure this point, we can advance to the right flank of the main space. Eliminating the remaining 6 points on the frontline might allow us to directly capture X12."
That's why he was here.
The underground battlefield was initially created by the Star Nation alliance.
They couldn't compete with the Federation on the surface; initially, the Star Nation controlled over 80% of the underground battlefield.
Now, that figure was less than 50%. Securing X12 would further reduce their territory.
Reeves didn't believe this was the end.
The true end required the Federation to completely control this four-star system, preventing other Star Nation warships from entering.
In reality, this was difficult.
The Federation had limited forces on this front line—only about 160 warships.
These 160 warships were suppressing 12 star nations.
To achieve this, the 160 warships were widely dispersed.
They received no support.
The Federation wouldn't commit more forces to such an advantageous position; they hoped to slowly grind down the 12 star nations.
Reeves found this amusing—a battlefield that could be easily crushed, yet they were relying on attrition?
Just another 100 warships could instantly subdue the 12 star nations.
But he was just a lowly Legion Commander; he hadn't even met the high command and had been fighting on Planet E for millennia, passively following orders.
As he pondered, a message appeared on his communication panel.
[Soldier Roger, deceased!]
He instantly alerted his men, who scanned their surroundings.
But they found nothing.
A second soldier died.
A third, a fourth…
Finally, someone discovered how they were dying.
They fell silently, without a sound. The moment before their death, they'd been alert, scanning their surroundings just like the others.
What was happening?
An unknown virus?
They were wearing mechs; how could anything get inside?
The next moment, they saw something emerging from the fallen bodies.
It resembled a ghost or a spirit from legends.
These entities quickly lunged at others.
The soldiers tried to stop them, but the entities ignored their efforts.
They entered the soldiers' bodies; the soldiers instantly fell, followed by death reports.
It was too fast.
Reeves immediately aimed his weapon at a fallen body.
A laser beam, with a temperature exceeding 10 million degrees Celsius, struck the corpse.
The mech, which should have blocked the laser, was instantly pierced, as if there were no obstacle.
A large hole burned through the corpse.
But the ground beneath the body showed no corresponding hole. A pale blue entity flew from the body; it seemed even brighter.
It's absorbing energy!?
Reeves immediately ordered.
"Flee!"
He was the first to run.
The others followed.
But they were far slower than the entities, which moved through the crowd, stealing their life force.
Watching his men fall, Reeves was horrified.
What was this?
It ignored their defenses and attacks.
Were they energy beings? Why didn't the underground interference affect them?
On the surface, he wouldn't fear such things.
Yet, here, they were facing annihilation.
Reeves desperately fled, but his mind raced. He suddenly remembered something from long ago.
The time was hazy, but the event itself remained vivid.
During the Star Nation alliance's weakest moment, only over 20 bases remained.
They had planned to seize Planet E, deploying over 30,000 troops.
It should have been a sure victory.
But they failed.
The only information transmitted was:
Ghosts!
Ghosts? How could ghosts exist?
They had all wondered.
They concluded it must have been some hidden weapon; the Federation proceeded with extreme caution for a long time afterward.
The entity he now faced was remarkably similar to the description.
This entity had never appeared on the battlefield before, leading to its unnoticed presence.
Now, its reappearance triggered Reeves' memory.
But it was too late.
Underground, he couldn't even transmit this information.
Almost a thousand soldiers fell in just two or three minutes; an entity followed Reeves.
It rapidly approached, then plunged into Reeves' body.
Reeves couldn't describe the sensation; he only felt a gaping maw engulfing him, followed by eternal darkness.
In less than ten minutes.
Everyone outside was dead.
Inside the surface fortress, Simali noticed the Federation had stopped attacking the stronghold.
Simali remained cautious; he didn't immediately go outside.
He waited two days inside the stronghold, waiting for the energy to replenish.
Once the energy was restored, he activated the stronghold's remaining weapons, launching an attack. Even after a considerable time, he didn't rush; he had everyone wait another five days before sending out the first scout.
Simali himself prepared for a potential Federation ambush, ensuring everyone was ready for a final battle.
If they were going to die anyway, they might as well gamble one last time.
After the first scout went out, he began searching.
After traveling over 100 meters, he encountered a steel wall—clearly a Federation defensive structure.
Federation soldiers were behind it.
He leaped over the 10-meter-high wall; the tension almost made him fall face-first upon landing.
He expected to be met with a barrage of gunfire, but there was none.
He couldn't see his surroundings and didn't dare to turn on his light.
He proceeded cautiously.
He then found a corpse on the ground.
The presence of a corpse indicated a battle had taken place.
Although the entities that had emerged from the stronghold were relatively far away from the others, they weren't blind; everyone had seen them.
Those entities had killed the Federation soldiers!
Overjoyed, he turned on his light to illuminate the area.
While the communication was unstable, even photons were affected, distorting colors, he could still discern the general shape of his surroundings.
He saw Federation soldiers' corpses scattered across the ground.
What exactly had happened here?
He hardly dared to believe it.
Powerful Federation soldiers killed so easily—it seemed impossible.
Stunned, he sent a message back to the stronghold.
The information, uniquely encrypted, was transmitted with high accuracy over this short distance; longer distances would be less reliable.
After receiving the message, Simali's doubts vanished, replaced by excitement.
The other soldiers felt the same.
"We can still survive?"
"Simali, you actually hid this."
Simali nodded slightly.
"I just followed the instructions; Lieutenant Colonel Luna is the one who saved us."
He didn't want to take credit.
In his eyes, Luna remained an enigmatic figure; he wouldn't be surprised by anything she did.
But!
Luna was dead.
This was what Simali couldn't believe.
Such an easy death.
"Let's go retrieve Lieutenant Colonel's remains."
Simali led his men out of the stronghold, using his mech to locate Luna's body.
He eventually found a severely damaged part of her body in a corner; he collected it, placed it in a container, and planned to bury it in a deeper stratum.
Burial near the surface risked destruction in future battles.
Just as Simali finished, he received a new message.
[The spirits have a limited lifespan; they require constant energy. You can summon new spirits; simply transfer sufficient energy to the specified coordinates.]
[The new coordinates are locked to you, in your body's final location.]
Simali was overjoyed after reading the message.
This meant he could summon more of these entities.
While seemingly ineffective on the surface, they were invincible in the underground battlefield.
The recent events proved this.
His spirits soared.
Perhaps he could use them to conquer the entire underground battlefield, giving them a chance to defeat the Federation.
If these entities fought with full force!
...
Simali placed the container holding Luna's remains inside the stronghold and began organizing the troops to restore the upper passage.
Federation soldiers likely remained there.
"To reach the passage, we'll need a large detour."
"We have no energy source up there," someone reminded Simali, pointing out the risks of a large detour; they could be annihilated.
Simali considered this problem.
The original route was blocked; a detour would take at least an hour.
Without sufficient energy to summon the spirits, how could they fight the Federation soldiers?
Finally, he decided.
"We'll excavate a new passage along the original route."
"Once the passage is cleared, we might be able to use the spirits to eliminate the Federation forces."
This was the only solution he could think of.
Summoning those entities required tremendous energy, far beyond individual soldier capacity.
The other soldiers hesitated.
After eliminating the Federation soldiers outside, they had other options.
They could leave through another passage, reach another stronghold, and return to base.
They didn't need to take such a risk.
Simali wasn't Luna; he couldn't command their complete trust.
Simali, aware of their skepticism, said: "This is a mission Lieutenant Colonel Luna left behind."
"Including the spirits; it was all her plan."
The soldiers remained unconvinced.
Someone questioned, "If it was a plan by Lieutenant Colonel, why didn't she use it earlier?"
"It doesn't seem difficult to activate. Having this, we wouldn't have needed to panic when facing the Federation."
Simali was momentarily stunned.
In the initial chaos and then as acting Lieutenant Colonel, he had focused on survival, then on excitement after the spirits eliminated the Federation forces, and finally on restoring the passage.
He hadn't considered this.
If this method truly came from Luna, why hadn't she used it herself?
He silently questioned the unknown entity, seeking answers, but found none.
But if this wasn't from Luna, who was it?
They had dug this stronghold themselves; this was their first attack. Who could have tampered with it?
He couldn't figure it out.
Combined with his previous doubts.
The technology was too advanced.
Simali fell into a brief silence.
He didn't ponder too long; it was an unanswerable question.
He knew one thing: with this, he could accomplish what he'd previously only dreamed of.
Why not gamble?
On Planet E, escape was impossible. How many more years would they wait?
"You saw the spirits' power."
"This wasn't something Lieutenant Colonel could obtain easily; it was an unexpected acquisition."
"Perhaps it was a Federation remnant or some advanced civilization's product; that's why Lieutenant Colonel never used it."
"I'm using it because we face certain death, and it's proven to be a usable tool, not some uncontrollable force."
Simali's explanation was convincing.
Of course, his status and previous actions played a significant role.
"Perhaps, just perhaps, we can use this to defeat the Federation."
"Think about it. If we retreat, what changes? We'll still be trapped on this battlefield, and this war will never end."
"We'll continue to dwindle, dying like those before us, only to be replaced by others."
"I want to leave this place. Now, we have a chance!"
His expression was bleak.
He was tired of living under constant fire, under constant high alert, endlessly repeating the same actions.
This life had no end in sight, or perhaps it had no end at all.
He wanted to put a period to this sentence.
Those who had opposed him fell silent.
It was true.
Even if they fled, they would still face death.
As insignificant soldiers, no one would bother to save them.
They had to save themselves, and this was their chance.
"We'll listen to you, Simali."
"You're right; we're all going to die, only the time and place are different."
Simali was moved by this.
"Thank you. I will lead you all to safety from this cursed planet."
"I, Simali, swear—though I know it means nothing—this is my promise to you."
Simali looked at each soldier, trying to memorize their faces.
But inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He had managed to convince them using reason and emotion.
Doing it alone would have been far more difficult.
His true ambition extended far beyond simply leaving Planet E.
Since the summoning coordinates were on him, why couldn't he obtain more?
If the spirits were strong enough…
It was time for the test.
Simali continued accumulating energy within the stronghold while ordering the excavation of the upper passage.
This would inevitably alert the Federation soldiers above; they would attempt to stop them, requiring extreme caution.
Simali also planned how to use the spirits to attack the Federation forces. They needed to get closer.
He experimented, channeling energy into his body.
He discovered his tendril absorbed this energy, with incredible force, even drawing the energy through his body.
The energy burned some of his flesh, but he didn't care.
His internal quark robots could heal the damage.
Quark robots were no longer exclusive to the Federation; many star nations could produce them for bodily repairs.
After the healing, Simali used the tendril to absorb energy without injury.
"If it can absorb all energy, could it block energy attacks?" Simali wondered.
But he couldn't test this.
Weaponized energy was too powerful; a slight mistake could kill him.
A low-power test wouldn't be effective; it was better to wait for a real situation.
The excavation and preparations were completed simultaneously.
And now, it was time to launch their counteroffensive.
...
"Connecting?"
Simali had a power conduit connected to his body.
He needed to be at the front of the passage.
This self-endangerment gained the soldiers' respect and trust.
If he ordered them to charge forward, they wouldn't obey.
But if he charged first, they would respect his decision.
Simali showed them the device.
In reality, he didn't want to do this, but because the coordinates were on him, he had to.
"Connected."
"Be careful. The Federation forces above likely have their weapons ready."
"Knowing them, they might be aiming their weapons at the passage, waiting for us to emerge."
Simali grunted; he understood the risk.
He'd already prepared himself mentally.
Death was inevitable!
He'd faced death many times on the battlefield.
This was just another time.
If Luna could die, why couldn't he?
After careful preparation, Simali climbed the passage.
It was the most primitive method.
Ignoring interference, any other method of upward movement would be easily detected; he'd likely be killed instantly.
Slowly climbing was the safest option.
He even had his quark robot remove most of the water from his body and compact his cells, making himself smaller.
He continued upwards.
The underground space extended from 10,000 to 300,000 meters deep; he was currently at 62,830 meters.
He wasn't sure where the Federation had severed the passage—perhaps a few hundred meters above, or several kilometers, or even tens of kilometers.
This required his judgment.
The climb was monotonous.
There were no sounds; Simali felt immense pressure.
With every movement, he listened carefully, hoping to detect any faint feedback to pinpoint the enemy's location.
...
Far above him.
Several individuals were looking down, anxiously waiting.
"Have they entered the passage?"
The passage had a diameter of 30 meters—neither large nor small.
The depth below was too great for the Federation soldiers to see clearly.
"They've entered."
"The Legion Commander is likely putting pressure on them from outside the surface fortress; they had no choice but to use this method."
"We just need to ensure they can't get out."
"With the communication jamming, they can't do anything while climbing."
The communication jamming wasn't just signal jamming.
All matter could be considered information.
This jamming disrupted the waves of all matter, making atomic systems extremely unstable.
A peculiar phenomenon was visible: some matter would spontaneously transform into other matter, readily losing electrons.
"Relax."
"We've deployed 300 meters of self-activating devices below; they'll trigger upon contact."
"We have a little surprise waiting for them," a Federation Lieutenant Colonel chuckled.
The surprise was simple: the bodies of the Star Nation soldiers killed on the battlefield.
He anticipated the reaction of the Star Nation soldiers upon seeing these corpses.
He looked forward to it.
Prolonged warfare led to psychological instability among soldiers.
Especially on a high-intensity battlefield lasting hundreds or thousands of years, every soldier was essentially insane, psychologically damaged.
Some were paranoid, some obeyed others blindly, some were incapable of independent action, and some had severe psychological problems.
Every type of person existed.
This type of psychological warfare wouldn't significantly impact soldiers under normal circumstances.
But on this battlefield, where soldiers had lived together for centuries, the bonds were stronger than those of family.
For soldiers with strong emotional ties, this was more disturbing than death.
Just as the Lieutenant Colonel anticipated…
His instruments detected a vibration.
He leaped up.
"Quickly, drop all the corpses."
The dismembered bodies, suspended from wires, were dropped.
The length was precisely 300 meters, landing directly above the climbers.
Radioactive substances were applied to the corpses; even through their mechs, the soldiers could see the radiation emitted, making the corpses clearly visible.
...
Simali felt a jolt when he touched the sensor.
He wanted to let go and jump.
But he resisted.
He couldn't fail now.
He immediately transmitted a message down the cable connected to his body.
The soldiers below opened the energy conduit, sending electricity surging upwards.
Within a second, he felt the energy flood into his tendril.
The corpses fell.
Seeing them, Simali felt intense rage.
This was an insult.
Worse than any slur.
"Damn bastards!"
He recognized one of his former subordinates among the corpses.
This subordinate had saved his life in a previous battle.
He wasn't heartless.
Like the other soldiers, he was a conscripted civilian; true soldiers wouldn't be sent to die.
He still had human compassion.
"You'll all die a horrible death."
...
The Federation soldiers above used special equipment to observe the activity below.
Every ripple of movement excited them.
Seeing no reaction from the sensors, their anticipation turned to anger.
But then a soldier shouted: "Energy levels are rising below; they're using their weapons."
The Federation soldiers laughed triumphantly.
"Enraged!"
"They're finally enraged!"
They imagined the Star Nation soldiers panting with exertion.
But as they laughed…
A soldier suddenly and silently fell.
The laughter ceased instantly; they received the death report.
What happened?
Why did he die so suddenly?
As doubts arose, more soldiers fell.
One after another.
Soon, laughter turned to silence!
Their deaths were primarily due to a lack of information.
They were unaware of the situation below; otherwise, they wouldn't have chosen to insult Simali.
The spirits, after emerging from their bodies, flew upwards.
About 20 minutes later, Simali reached the top.
Seeing the scene, he stepped on a Federation soldier's head and spat, "You deserved to die, ha ha."
After a while, he transmitted a message to the soldiers below, following the plan.
They began installing the mechanical climbing devices.
These were emergency devices.
They were composed of a central platform and four articulated arms.
Ten arms, using hydraulic pressure, expanded to attach themselves to the walls of the passage.
The arms had sharp claws and were mechanically driven.
Their climbing speed reached 9 meters per second; reaching the top from the bottom took about two hours.
The speed was slow, but they could carry many people simultaneously.
About an hour and a half later, the platform reached Simali.
The soldiers crammed onto it; seeing the corpses above was satisfying.
They collected the bodies.
Simali ordered them to load the corpses onto the platform and, together with those from the surface, moved forward.
Their original base was directly ahead.
They aimed to restore the passage.
Everything proceeded smoothly.
Several days later, Simali re-established contact with other headquarters.
The other bases were incredulous; they had assumed the Matriarchy star nation forces were annihilated.
They couldn't believe they had survived the Federation offensive.
But that was it.
No one cared.
The war was vast; they were insignificant.
Simali's primary reason for re-establishing contact was to alert other Matriarchy star nation corps.
"The Federation deployed large-scale personal weapons underground, including simplified versions of mothership weapons."
"I suspect the frontline won't hold for long; the Federation's actions are likely widespread."
Being from the same star nation, these corps had helped each other during the war.
However, Simali hadn't relied on them for rescue, not only due to the lack of close bonds but because their situation was similar to the 276th Corps.
They were just cannon fodder.
"Lieutenant Colonel of the 276th, it's not that we don't trust you, but if what you say is true, how did you survive?" the other Lieutenant Colonel asked.
Simali had prepared an explanation.
"The Federation underestimated us; they didn't deploy sufficient forces, giving us an opportunity."
"We also possess a decisive weapon; the Federation soldiers died because of it."
"Unfortunately, even so, the battle was brutal; Lieutenant Colonel Luna died in this battle."
His voice carried a hint of sadness.
This sadness might have been genuine during the stronghold's defense, but now, the grief had subsided; Simali was gradually letting go of Luna.
One must look forward.
"We share your sorrow for the death of Lieutenant Colonel Luna."
"She was a good person and a good leader."
"We hope you'll carry on her will!"
Luna had good relations with them; no one had anything bad to say about her.
But Simali found Luna's methods too reckless.
In every battle, Luna charged at the front and retreated last.
This might have been strategically advantageous, but it was incredibly risky for the soldiers.
Simali wouldn't inherit Luna's will; he had his own plans.
Contacting these corps served his purpose.
"I have a proposal."
"The war has reached a critical point; continued fighting will only deplete our numbers further."
"The last reinforcement was 400 years ago; that's unusual. There might be changes on other fronts."
"The Federation has warships here; they can use the warships' servers for research and even improve during the war."
"But we only grow weaker."
"The 276th Corps now has less than a thousand; your corps aren't much larger."
"We should consolidate our forces; this will increase our chances of survival," Simali suggested.
This proposal was tempting.
No one wanted to die; combining forces increased their survival rate.
But there were obvious obstacles.
"Who becomes the Legion Commander then?"
The Matriarchy star nation had no Legion Commander here. There had been one, but he was dead.
No other Legion Commander wanted to come to Planet E.
Simali countered, "Why do we need a Legion Commander? We can cooperate without unified command."
"That's too cumbersome, and I believe you wouldn't want someone dictating your actions."
Simali spoke frankly.
This was indeed a valid point.
The other Lieutenant Colonels considered this and agreed.
While it might lead to some chaos, it would be stronger overall.
Their combined forces numbered only over three thousand, still less than the 276th.
With this merger, their total numbers would exceed 8000—a considerable force.
"I think this is feasible."
"But where do we consolidate?"
This was another problem.
It wasn't a minor matter; no one wanted trouble.
Relocation meant risk.
Simali said, "My location is the least problematic."
"The Federation recently suffered heavy losses here, and we've captured some Federation weapons, which can be used for defense."
This proposal silenced the others.
They needed time to consider.
Simali wasn't in a hurry.
He believed they would agree soon.
He sensed an impending offensive.
The Federation would launch a large-scale attack; under that pressure, the others would yield.
If he repelled the attack, they would seek refuge with him.
But this was just speculation; the war wouldn't necessarily follow his predictions.
Simali had anticipated a gentler war.
Instead, it erupted like a storm, and the Star Nation alliance quickly crumbled, losing a large underground space.
The Star Nation alliance was in grave danger.