Since our surprise attack, the U-Star people were enraged. They immediately dispatched massive squadrons of space fighters to scour our scattered early warning stations on the periphery, thus our eyes and ears were knocked out one by one. Following that, they mobilized even more minesweepers, accelerating their advance once more. By the morning after the attack, the enemy fleet’s shadow was visible to the naked eye.

The success of the sneak attack also bolstered the spirits of the Gemini-Star people. We amassed ten thousand White Shark frigates, five thousand Tiger Shark frigates, and two thousand White Whale bombers, preparing for a decisive battle against the invincible fleet of the Sgadj Empire. At this very moment, the propulsion system for Moon Watch II had only just entered production—a profound regret, as having that earlier would have given us significantly greater initiative.

Although we had nearly twenty thousand warships, our total tonnage was less than one-tenth of theirs, meaning our chances of victory in this battle were slim. During the pre-battle mobilization, I made the snap decision to take command from Ximen Yun. Ximen Yun had no experience in space combat, and while I didn't either, it was still better than him. I had long intended to cultivate his abilities, but now was clearly not the time; given that this was a war we were destined to lose, it felt unfair to saddle Ximen Yun with the responsibility for failure.

The Falcon reconnaissance ships continuously relayed intelligence back to the control room: a massive circular hole, spanning ten kilometers in diameter, had been punched through the tens of thousands of kilometers of minefield we had painstakingly laid over several days, carving a path directly into Gemini-Star territory. The leading minesweeper had just broken past the final space mine!

Ximen Yun requested permission: “Zhao Qian, let’s engage! Regardless of success or failure, we must fight.”

The sweat in my palm soaked a patch on my trousers. The image relayed through the electronic eyes showed that ten-kilometer-wide hole gaping at us like a mocking mouth. If only Moon Watch II's propulsion system were complete, I’d have loved to pilot both planets right up to that opening and blast inside just to silence their arrogance.

It would have been supremely satisfying to hit them with a ten-kilometer-caliber super-cannon—one shot could potentially neutralize a warship protected by an energy shield. But currently, we couldn't even construct massive cannons larger than ten meters in diameter, let alone such terrifying super-artillery.

Fifteen thousand warships were arrayed in a chevron formation before the opening, awaiting my signal to unleash a simultaneous barrage. A daring notion flashed through my mind—since we were fighting anyway, succeeding or failing, why not try it?

Ximen Yun watched as the minesweepers, having completed their sweep, prepared to withdraw to allow the medium-class escort ships behind them passage. He requested again, “Zhao Qian, time is running out; they are about to pull back. Should we attack?”

“No, wait,” I commanded. “Have all ships switch to automated piloting via the main computer. Immediately bring ten external computers online and link them to the mainframe—quickly!”

Ximen Yun didn't know my plan, but he obeyed immediately. In a matter of moments, ten external terminals were set up before me. Simultaneously, the fifteen thousand light frigates had switched to automated flight, their movement and firing now governed by the main computer of Moon Watch One base.

My plan was to use these fifteen thousand light frigates to construct a colossal 'super-cannon,' with a diameter spanning ten square kilometers. To realize this vision, the precise position and energy projectile firing time of every single ship had to be determined. Otherwise, if the energy bolts fired from their turret reached the target at staggered intervals, the resulting explosion would also be staggered, precluding the effect of a single, massive energy pulse. The task of ensuring fifteen thousand shots, fired at different times, would impact the target simultaneously fell to the main computer and me.

The current, accurate location of every vessel was instantly relayed to the main computer. I rapidly began calculating trajectories and issuing a cascade of commands. One by one, the light frigates moved outward from the gap cleared by the minesweepers, arranging themselves in a funnel shape, with the tip of the funnel pointed toward the direction the enemy ships would emerge.

As I directed each ship into its position, I anxiously watched the hole, waiting to see which class of vessel Smugu would send through first. A large mothership would have been ideal, otherwise, I couldn't precisely coordinate the simultaneous detonation time of thousands of shots. Perhaps my silent prayer was answered, or perhaps Smugu saw our arrayed ships; he chose to lead the breach with an invincible-class warship—a heavy cruiser, so large that maneuvering through our minefield seemed difficult even for it. This was truly a gift from heaven.

Wiping the cold sweat from my brow, I quickly calculated the firing times for each vessel and the arrival time of their energy bolts at the U-Star cruiser’s location. My figure darted between the ten terminals. No one knew what I was doing, and I had no time to explain. Even the attendants nearby, Linglong and Yun Yao, were utterly baffled. As the enemy cruiser approached the minefield exit, even Yun Yao couldn’t hold back.

“Brother Zhao, why haven't you given the order? You’re just maneuvering the ships around. Even if that cruiser has an energy shield, it can buy us some time; we can’t just give up so easily,” Yun Yao urged anxiously.

Linglong stepped forward and wiped the sweat from my face. She said to Yun Yao, “Sister Yun Yao, look at Master; he has a plan. Let’s not disturb him.”

I smiled at Linglong as encouragement and continued my frantic movements across the ten computers. Meanwhile, the main computer diligently analyzed and executed the streams of instructions I issued. Finally, the cursor hovered over a launch button. All that remained was for me to select the exact moment to press it; the success or failure of this 'super-cannon' would be decided in an instant.

The cruiser was one kilometer from the minefield exit. I gritted my teeth, jumped up, and slammed my palm onto the button. The White Sharks at the outermost edge of the funnel fired first, followed sequentially by the others moving inward. Fifteen thousand energy projectiles instantly coalesced into a singular, super-giant energy blast, ten kilometers in diameter and roughly fifteen kilometers long, flying in perfect unison toward the cruiser. Before this first wave hit the target, the second wave of firing commenced, generating a second super-giant energy blast that immediately followed the first into the minefield.

The U-Star cruiser had its energy shields cranked to maximum, and its automatic counter-fire weaponry stood ready. The sudden torrent of fire emerging from the gap did not overly alarm them; in their eyes, these energy projectiles were insufficient to breach the cruiser’s defenses. They maximized the cruiser’s speed and activated its onboard weapons to engage the incoming fire.

The distance between the cruiser and the light White Shark frigates was not significant. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, a massive explosion was followed by another, and then an enormous shockwave, laced with thousands upon thousands of smaller detonations, hurled the funnel-shaped formation of White Shark frigates several kilometers away. The void erupted with explosions, as if every firework in a massive factory had detonated simultaneously, their contents spewing outward. The sheer force of the shockwave even displaced the two Moon Watch planets hundreds of meters from their original orbits.

The monitoring screens went blank, and alarms blared throughout the control room. Linglong and Yun Yao clung to me in terror. Due to the violent shaking of the Moon Watch bases, many people were thrown to the floor, while more clung desperately to their chairs, refusing to let go. It felt like the end of the world. The cacophony of explosions continued for nearly twenty minutes before slowly fading, whereupon the various alerts silenced. The Falcon reconnaissance ships resumed their work, gradually transmitting the view of the battlefield ahead.

Linglong pulled away from my embrace and asked with a tremor, “What happened?”

Yun Yao asked, “Yes, did the U-Star people deploy their ultimate weapon?”

I patted my chest, where my heart nearly hammered its way out. “I don’t know. I was only trying to create one massive, invincible energy bolt, hoping to destroy the leading cruiser and block their path, or at least use the giant energy blast to drive them out of the minefield. But the effect I envisioned shouldn't have been this intense.”

Ximen Yun brushed the dust from his uniform. “Zhao Qian, did you create another mysterious weapon? Why did you knock over our own ships? The recoil effect seems excessively strong.”

The screens displayed our fifteen thousand light frigates scattered, listing haphazardly; some had collided under the intense shockwave, and a very few had actually exploded and been destroyed. This outcome was certainly beyond my anticipation.

Initially, the scene in the minefield was unclear due to the vast amounts of debris churned up by the explosions. As the Falcon reconnaissance ships flew closer and the debris began to dissipate further away, the situation on the field slowly came into focus. Upon careful inspection, everyone was stunned—myself included—because I never expected creating two collective energy blasts to yield this result. Smugu’s fleet of twenty thousand warships seemed to have lost about half its strength, desperately trying to evade the wreckage of the explosions.

“Wh-what is going on?” Ximen Yun and the others were bewildered.

Linglong leaped up. “Master, I knew you had a way! You wiped out half their strength in one go! Two more salvos and they’ll be finished!”

Yun Yao retorted, “You are too naive, Linglong. The scene that just unfolded was a one-in-a-million chance. Even firing ten more super energy blasts now won't produce that effect.”

“Indeed,” I confirmed. “The first composite energy blast I created shattered the cruiser’s energy shield, causing the cruiser to explode violently. Its explosion merged with the second composite energy blast, massively amplifying the destructive force. This subsequently detonated the surrounding space mines instantaneously. Consider the immense power required to move Moon Watch II—and we were so far from the center of the blast, yet the shockwave could push both bases hundreds of meters. Imagine what ships without energy shields could withstand.”

Ximen Yun picked up my explanation: “Now, the remaining invincible fleet consists of heavy warships or the few escort ships lucky enough to hide behind them. The surrounding space mines have been completely destroyed by the explosion. Even if we reorganized the White Sharks and Tiger Sharks for another coordinated firing, the effect wouldn't be significant. Furthermore, Smugu won't stand still to be hit again; it will be extremely difficult for us to reorganize that unified formation again.”