Chen Song's eyes lit up.
Qin Bei Wang continued speaking.
"The Imperial Fleet that warps in afterward will immediately experience spatial overlap with that wreckage."
"Some will be shattered by collisions, some will explode, and some will be pierced by their own debris."
"All we need to do..."
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
"...is reap the harvest from the sidelines."
After listening, Chen Song fell silent for a few seconds.
Then he laughed.
The smile spread from the corners of his mouth.
"Good!"
He slapped his thigh.
"A brilliant move!"
"Utterly ruthless!"
"I love it!"
A wave of laughter echoed across the Bridge.
Qin Bei Wang's voice continued.
"However..."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Since the enemy forces have diverted four mother-class fleets to provide support towards the Z-78 and S-22 directions."
"And from the Bushman Star System direction, an Imperial reinforcement fleet of over ten thousand starships is rushing here."
His gaze met Chen Song's.
"Therefore, we have no choice but to end the ambush early."
On the other end of the communication screen, Chen Song's brow furrowed slightly.
"Reinforcements are already coming this quickly?"
His tone carried a hint of surprise.
He was silent for a second, then nodded.
"Then we need to hurry to the S-22 and Z-78 Warp Points."
A trace of excitement entered his voice.
"Once we secure these two Warp Points..."
He reached out and drew a circle in the void.
"...our reinforcements can warp over rapidly."
"At that time..."
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
"...capturing the entire Savannah Star System will be within our grasp!"
Qin Bei Wang's eyes gleamed faintly.
Capturing the Savannah Star System.
That was no small objective.
It was a crucial stronghold for the Empire in the direction of the Ten Stone Starfield, a key node connecting the Bushman Star System and the Elvira Star System.
If they could truly seize it...
The gains from this battle wouldn't merely be about how many enemy forces they annihilated.
It would be tangible strategic advantage.
The corner of his mouth also lifted slightly.
Chen Song looked at him and laughed out loud.
"What, tempted?"
Qin Bei Wang did not deny it.
"Indeed, I'm somewhat looking forward to it."
Chen Song roared with laughter.
"Then just wait and see! Watch how I beat those Imperial barbarians into the void!"
He reined in his smile, his tone turning serious.
"Then we need to depart quickly."
He paused, his gaze settling on Qin Bei Wang.
"From here on out..."
"...leave it to us."
Qin Bei Wang looked at him, silent for a second.
Then he spoke slowly.
"You have my thanks for your hard work."
Chen Song said with a laugh.
"What hard work?"
"You've been fighting on the front lines for so long; it's time for a rest."
"The work ahead..."
He patted his chest.
"...leave it to me!"
Qin Bei Wang smiled and said nothing more.
The communication screen went dark.
The two fleets began to slowly pass each other.
The Army Breaker Fleet and the General Slayer Fleet set course towards the Z-78 and S-22 directions, respectively.
Their tail flames stretched into long ribbons of light in the void, like arrows piercing the darkness.
Meanwhile, the Pluto Fleet continued its advance towards the Elvira Star System.
An indeterminate amount of time passed.
The outskirts of Shiva Star, Elvira Star System.
After a long voyage, the Pluto Fleet slowly entered this once-familiar airspace.
Outside the viewport, the gray-blue gas giant hung silently in the void, still exactly as remembered.
But Qin Bei Wang's gaze was not fixed on the planet.
He was staring at the orbital ring encircling it.
That place should have been ablaze with lights, bustling with activity, with countless shipyards and ports waiting to provide them rest and repairs.
But now, it was pitch black.
The once neatly arranged shipyards were now nothing but twisted skeletons.
The once ceaselessly busy ports were now all broken wreckage.
The surface of the orbital ring was covered with dense, overlapping impact marks.
Some were pierced through by lasers, leaving holes with molten edges.
Some were struck by missiles, blasted open with gaps dozens of meters in diameter.
Others were torn apart by railgun projectiles, entire sections twisted and deformed.
Qin Bei Wang stood there, staring at the ruins, motionless.
His fists slowly clenched.
Zhuang Zhixuan stood behind him, also staring at the shattered orbital ring, her voice low.
"The work of the Imperial Fleet."
Qin Bei Wang said nothing.
He knew.
Of course he knew.
If it were him, deep behind enemy lines, he would have done the same.
Cut the supply lines.
Destroy the logistics nodes.
Leave the enemy with nowhere to repair, nowhere to resupply, nowhere to rest.
This was war. It was common sense.
But he still wanted to curse.
His lips moved, and a low, angry curse escaped.
"Damn Imperial savages."
The others who saw this scene were also filled with fury.
"Damn it, my organic food... I hope they're all okay!"
"Those cursed Imperial savages, making it so we can't even return home!"
...
At that moment, Zhuang Zhixuan spoke softly.
"Commander, although the orbital ring is severely damaged, its basic functions are still intact."
"At least it can sustain the basic livelihood of the residents inside."
Qin Bei Wang nodded.
He knew.
But that was all.
As for rest, resupply, and repairs for the warships?
That was out of the question.
Over two hundred battered warships now drifted in this once-familiar, now-alien airspace like a group of homeless vagrants.
Everyone looked at each other, unsure what to do next.
Just then.
The communications officer's voice suddenly rang out, breaking the silence on the bridge.
"Report, Commander!"
He stared at the screen before him, his voice tinged with barely suppressed excitement.
"We've received a text message from Command Headquarters!"
Qin Bei Wang whipped his head around.
The communications officer read out, word by word.
"Orders from the Commander-in-Chief..."
"The Pluto Fleet is to return to the Galaxy Starfield for rest and refit."
"And..."
"Prepare a complete combat report detailing all operational information."
The bridge fell silent for a second.
Then, Zhuang Zhixuan was the first to react.
"The Galaxy Starfield?"
Her voice carried a note of pleasant surprise.
"That's a core star sector of the Federation!"
"The shipyards there are the most advanced in the entire Federation!"
The Chief of Staff, Qi Xiangbei, chimed in, equally excited.
"In the past, when the fleet was damaged, we'd either go to a garrisoned planet or a fortress for rest and repairs.
We basically never left our assigned star domain."
"To think this time they're having us cross several star domains to return to the Galaxy Starfield for refit!"
"This is probably a unique honor!"
The atmosphere on the bridge instantly came alive.
"I've never been to the Galaxy Starfield in all my life!"
"Is there really a big river called the Milky Way in the Galaxy Starfield?"
"I've heard that the average lifespan in the Galaxy Starfield is over five hundred years."
"I wonder if taking a few extra breaths of the Galaxy Starfield's air can extend our lives!"
"When we get to the Galaxy Starfield, I must take lots of photos to show my mom!"
...
The officers and crew, who had just been lost and bewildered, now wore smiles on their faces.
Qin Bei Wang stood there, listening to the chatter behind him, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth.