Though I might appear careless and dissipated in my daily life, I apply myself with great focus when it comes to actual work, forgoing any intimate moments with the ladies to immediately begin. While Xi Menyan and Ma Xiaowei still opposed this plan, they understood it was likely the only strength we possessed to fight the U-Sapiens. Better to have the modifications ready just in case, or failing that, we could evacuate all humans to the Lunar Guard bases and flee the M-System aboard these two fortress ships. The capacity of both bases was colossal, enough to accommodate all the inhabitants of the Binary Stars, as the Binary Stars were sparsely populated to begin with.

By the morning of the third day, everything was confirmed. The video feed from the early warning station showed that the registry numbers on the enemy fleet’s hulls belonged to the Invincible Fleet of the Sgajii Empire—what we call the U-Sapiens. In fact, the markings I had seen earlier weren't the letter 'U' at all; it was simply their glyph, meaning 'Invincible.' I only learned this after deeply researching the data within the base's computer, but we preferred to call them U-Sapiens out of habit.

The enemy fleet was immense. The electronic eyes of the early warning station scanned at least twenty thousand vessels. More critically, this was no ragtag force like the last time; they were uniformly destroyer-class or higher, the minimum being light destroyers, though few in number. The majority were medium destroyers, supplemented by several heavy cruiser-class capital ships. Judging by their current composition, what we encountered before must have been merely a minor skirmish with mining forces; this was the true might of the Sgajii Empire.

The U-Sapien fleet halted ten thousand kilometers out in space because advancing further meant entering our minefield. Along their line of advance, every hundred cubic meters of three-dimensional space contained one space mine. The effective kill radius of a mine was fifty meters in diameter, but to prevent chain reactions, we spaced them one hundred cubic meters apart. For ships of their massive size, a hundred meters offered insufficient passage. These space mines were essentially high-explosive energy projectiles; even with energy shields, brute-forcing through would likely only cover a few kilometers before the barrier was breached. And this minefield spanned ten thousand kilometers.

The early warning station signaled that after halting, several hundred light destroyer-class minesweepers moved to the vanguard. They unleashed torrents of ordinance—rounds that possessed little inherent destructive power, their sole purpose being to trigger the detonation devices of the space mines. They swept forward, clearing a path for the main body of the fleet trailing behind.

In the command center, Xi Menyun’s face was grim. He stated, "Everyone has seen it. Their minesweepers are at work. I fear our ten-thousand-kilometer minefield will be breached in less than two days. Everyone, think of a way to halt the enemy fleet."

Someone mused, "Alas, if only our space mines had autonomous movement. As they clear the front, the trailing mines could shift automatically to fill the gaps."

I interjected, "That feature is certainly worth incorporating into our designs. I'll note it down. Ideally, they should possess automatic tracking capabilities, much like the U-Sapiens' energy projectiles. That might increase their lethality and give us more flexible offensive options."

Xi Menyun nodded. "That is indeed a fine suggestion, but what we need now is a method to repel the enemy."

Another voice offered, "The minefield that blocks the U-Sapiens also blocks our own fleet. I suspect we can only take action after they pass through it."

The group debated fervently, but I saw no viable solution among their suggestions. So, I spoke up, "Gentlemen, since we understand their language, why not send a message asking their intentions? We need to ascertain their true objective, state our sovereignty and stance clearly. Perhaps they will see reason and retreat. Otherwise, we swear to fight them to the death."

Xi Menyun paused, struck by the idea. "That's right. If they intend war, they should at least announce it. We can contact them via the early warning station and ask what brings them here."

We transmitted a message asserting our sovereignty through the early warning station's channel to the U-Sapiens. A portion of the technology we currently employed was derived from the base's master computer, so I was certain they would receive this transmission. Indeed, not long after, we received a reply, followed by a request to establish a signal link.

Xi Menyun asked me, "Zhao Qian, accept it?"

I replied, "Let's see the message first."

Only I could decipher the U-Sapien script. After translating the text, all hope seemed extinguished. They were indeed the Invincible Fleet of the Sgajii Empire. Their fleet commander was named Simugu. They had received reports from the mining team that retreated to their home planet, claiming that the sentient life on the Binary Stars had rebelled and attacked the Sgajii Empire's mining operations. Therefore, they had come on the orders of the Great Leader Garlida to crush the rebellion.

I told Xi Menyun, "Connect the signal. I need to speak with this Simugu."

The video link connected swiftly, the signal stabilizing. On the screen appeared an ugly U-Sapien against the backdrop of a massive cockpit. His appearance was no different from the others I had seen, though I probably couldn't distinguish subtle variations anyway. He bellowed at me like a boar, "I am Simugu, commander of the Invincible Fleet! You pack of low-grade lifeforms, we Sgajii gave you life, and now you rebel against us! Your doomsday is here. Surrender immediately, or we will destroy the entire Binary Stars!"

I replied calmly to the commander, "I apologize, but we cannot meet your demand. Perhaps you did create the sentient life on this planet, but you have no right to determine their life or death now. They have lived and grown on the Binary Stars for millennia; this is their home. You are nothing more than cosmic bandits who arrive to mine when your energy crystals run low, and you carry the intent to wipe out the surface intelligence as well. All life on the Binary Stars is now united to declare independence. Our planet will no longer welcome you, nor will it allow you to mine our energy crystals. If you try, we will fight you to the death!"

Evidently, the other party had not anticipated my fluent command of the U-Sapien tongue. However, Simugu quickly burst into loud laughter, his waist tentacles swaying like a dancing woman—it was nauseating. "Hahaha! You intend to fight our glorious Invincible Fleet to the death? You overestimate yourselves! We have brought twenty thousand warships to the Binary Stars. What can your tiny Binary Stars possibly use against us? Do you think a mere array of space mines can stop our advance? It will only delay your demise. I will not permit your surrender; I will slaughter every last one of you! The energy crystals are the exclusive resource of the Sgajii Empire; you lowly vermin are not fit to possess them. Wait and see, the Invincible Fleet will soon be upon you. I will not let you go!"

Realizing there was no hope for negotiation, I cut the signal and translated Simugu’s words verbatim for everyone. Xi Menyun exclaimed indignantly, "Gentlemen, these U-Sapiens are utterly unreasonable. We have no choice but to fight them to the death! Let us use the few days they need to sweep the mines to vigorously train our forces and prepare our defenses, so we can strike them with a decisive blow!"

Faced with an unavoidable situation, the others were also filled with righteous anger. Just then, someone suddenly proposed, "Commander Xi Menyun, we still have one contingent hidden behind a small asteroid outside the minefield—a total of three hundred bombing vessels and one hundred transport ships. Should we perhaps utilize them for a surprise attack on the enemy fleet?"

To complete the mine-laying process quickly, the work had been divided into two batches, expanding simultaneously from the center outwards. Thus, after the minefield was successfully laid, one contingent remained outside its perimeter. If they had to circle back, it would take months, so they were currently hidden on a small asteroid.

Xi Menyun considered this. "The enemy is sweeping mines slowly, and the passage they clear is narrow. If we wait until they are deep inside the minefield and pursue them for a while, this could be an excellent opportunity."

I countered, "Those bombing vessels only possess a single automatic turret for defense; their firepower is likely insufficient. In truth, even if we had positioned a force outside the perimeter beforehand, we couldn't inflict heavy damage. The enemy's sheer numbers and ship classes far surpass ours; a surprise attack might not yield any advantage."

Xi Menyun nodded. "Our strength compared to the U-Sapiens is vastly disparate. No matter how we fight, we won't gain much advantage. But the situation has reached a point where not fighting is impossible. The transport ships still carry space mines. We can have the bombers launch a surprise bombing raid against the Invincible Fleet. Regardless of the immediate effect, it will at least stop them from sweeping mines with complacency."

I could think of no better alternative, so I reluctantly agreed, "This is all we have. If we could manufacture heavy warships now, we wouldn't fear them. Based on images returned from the optical sensors hidden on smaller asteroids, the enemy’s main fleet is at the front, the flagship is in the middle, and the non-combat fleet is at the rear. Pursuing them from behind might be a feasible strategy, though it would be a one-way mission... alas."

A day later, the number of minesweepers in the Invincible Fleet increased substantially, and their advance quickened. More than half the minefield had been crossed, and over fifteen thousand vessels had entered the zone. The three hundred bombing vessels tasked with striking the rear of the Invincible Fleet were ready. Their armament consisted of onboard energy bombs and space mines.

Both sides' warships were equipped with anti-radar coatings, meaning they could only be detected by standard optical sensors, which created the condition for a surprise attack—they could only be discovered at very close range. However, a surprise attack by three hundred bombing vessels without escort against a fleet of twenty thousand vessels, mostly medium destroyers and above, was sheer suicide. Perhaps we truly should have set an ambush force on the perimeter, but that would only have increased the casualty count.

Using a few small asteroids for cover, the three hundred White Whale bombing vessels finally came into the Invincible Fleet's visual range at 1:10 PM. At that moment, they were only ten minutes away from the White Whales' effective bombing range. The trailing vessels of the Invincible Fleet opened fire. By the time the White Whale bombers reached the area directly above their bombing targets, fewer than two hundred remained. This was partly due to the main enemy fleet having already entered the minefield. The vessels at the rear were lower performance, mostly transports and maintenance craft, with limited offensive and defensive capabilities; otherwise, these three hundred White Whales would have been annihilated long before reaching bombing range.

The light destroyers left at the tail end of the formation could not immediately stop the White Whale attack, and the mid-to-large-sized destroyers inside the minefield could not rapidly turn back. The White Whale bombers that managed to punch through above the Invincible Fleet seized the opportunity, recklessly dumping energy bombs and space mines downward. The explosions provided them with better cover for stealth. By the time the medium destroyers inside the minefield turned to engage, the White Whale bombers had completed their mission. However, the price paid was devastating. Though they destroyed no fewer than three hundred light destroyers, supply transports, and maintenance vessels, every single one of the three hundred White Whale bombers was lost, completely wiped out under enemy pursuit fire.

This kind of life-for-a-life tactic is the least advisable, and the Binary Stars' fleet size was far inferior to the U-Sapiens; they couldn't even win in a two-to-one engagement. Furthermore, the tonnage of the Binary Stars' warships was much smaller than the enemy's; even facing two to one, victory might not be guaranteed. Given this disparity, such a surprise attack was best avoided in the future.

Nevertheless, this engagement succeeded in destroying some of the U-Sapiens' supply vessels, slightly reducing their sustained combat capability, and importantly, it prevented them from underestimating our strength. In a situation where we had exhausted all other options, this counts as a small victory, however agonizing the cost.