The first to be attacked were the various government departments and banks. Dabo’s mechs met only sporadic resistance; facing towering steel behemoths a dozen meters high, it was difficult for any individual to muster the courage to fight back.

Only a few dedicated security personnel and police officers desperately drew their weapons, but the paltry firepower of their small pulse rifles could only leave minor marks on the mechs' armor plating. For any such resistors, Dabo’s mech squad showed no mercy—only death.

In war, there is no room for even a shred of leniency. The fiercest resistance came from the Fire Brigade.

Within the Fire Brigade were some heavy engineering mechs, and many fearless citizens of the Hongxian Federation piloted these machines in suicidal clashes with the enemy. The result was tragic.

As soon as these individuals drove their mechs out, drills raised, they were riddled with bullets. The massacre carried out by Dabo’s mech squad terrified countless witnesses, while simultaneously stirring righteous indignation in a small fraction of the populace.

Resistors began to emerge in greater numbers. The mech squads started to suffer casualties, at the Police Headquarters, the Ministry of Defense, and the security departments of several major corporations… The number of resistors continued to grow.

Unfortunately, these resistors were few and scattered across various locations. They were quickly suppressed.

The military base nearest the capital dispatched its mech contingent with maximum speed to provide support. Mars detected this incoming force and sent its reserve unit to intercept.

Zhong Yun monitored the progress of the war meticulously. The Presidential Palace stood at the city center, and the first arriving fighter jets flew directly over it.

Zhong Yun’s standing order was to capture the ruling class of the Hongxian Federation alive. The mech units that arrived later encountered tenacious resistance.

Only the elite, carefully selected from the military, were capable of defending the Presidential Palace, and their strength was considerable. Dabo’s mech units ran into trouble; faced with the enemy's suicidal resistance, their advance stalled.

"Reinforcements are almost here." The Supreme Command, unable to evacuate to a safe zone in time, was cornered right inside the Presidential Palace. Mars had arrived too swiftly.

They hadn't managed to relocate, and the entire capital was now encircled—trapped like turtles in a jar. A high-ranking military official screamed hysterically, trying to boost the morale of the guards defending the perimeter.

Indeed, hearing that reinforcements were close energized the mech teams battling fiercely outside, enabling them to temporarily push the enemy back. Five warships bearing the insignia of the Hongxian Federation sailed arrogantly into Puji Star, heading straight for the capital.

The entire Supreme Command erupted in delight. They were like drowning men grasping desperately at a life raft.

Anyone coming to their rescue caused overwhelming excitement. "If they can get me out of here, I'll immediately promote them to General," someone even thought fleetingly.

Those five warships met the enemy, and countless mechs deployed from them. Someone in the Supreme Command cheered; with so many mechs joining the fray, they were saved.

Some even lost all composure, collapsing over tables and weeping uncontrollably to vent their emotions. No one paid heed to the outburst; all waited with bated breath.

Those incoming mechs collided with the enemy mechs, and then... merged with them.

The cheers in the Supreme Command ceased abruptly. Everyone stared at the feed from the space satellite: the later mechs had assimilated with the enemy’s own mechs.

The fierce battle they had anticipated never materialized. Those arriving mechs had even joined the ranks of the slaughterers.

Silence. The silence in the Supreme Command was terrifyingly absolute.

It turned out the five warships and the enemy were allied! They hadn't realized it, treating them as saviors, allowing them to land smoothly on Puji Star only to participate in their own annihilation.

Not a word was spoken. A chilling cold settled in everyone’s heart, like millennia-old ice from the North Pole.

This group, who usually held supreme military authority, now personally experienced the terror of the military. Despairing fear gripped them all.

With the addition of the new mechs, the war progressed even more smoothly. An elite unit composed entirely of Three-Star Mechs smashed through the defensive perimeter around the Presidential Palace, signaling the end of this urban contest, which concluded with the victory of Dabo’s 45th Fleet.

"We command your nation to immediately cease all military action against ours, or face the consequences." Zhong Yun addressed the entire high echelon of the Hongxian Federation with an air of supreme authority. In the plaza before the Presidential Palace, over a thousand high-ranking officials of the Hongxian Federation fell silent.

Zhong Yun had no patience to waste on them; only an hour and a half remained until the fall of Lanling Star. "You must decide clearly: which is more important, a capital planet and an industrial base, or a planet belonging to another nation." "Are you people from the Dabo Republic?" Finally, someone spoke.

It was a tall, silver-haired old man whose bearing set him apart, though his expression was now somewhat downcast. He spoke in the Hongxian dialect, but Zhong Yun, wearing an auto-translator, understood perfectly.

"That is correct. We are Dabo's forces." The silver-haired elder glanced up at Mars, the colossal vessel floating in the sky, obscuring the horizon, a deep shock flickering in his eyes.

"Dabo cannot possess a super-satellite level vessel. Who exactly are you, sir?" "It doesn't concern you who I am," Zhong Yun said, showing slight impatience.

"You are all intelligent people; you should know how to choose. My patience is limited; do not force me to do things I would rather not." The silver-haired elder fell silent.

After a moment, he spoke again. "I need to confer with them." "I grant you ten minutes." With that, Zhong Yun’s voice vanished.

On Lanling Star, the war was nearing its final phase. The fleet guarding the space jump point near Lanling Star was clearly losing.

The enemy had successfully brought three "Wushan-class" battleships through, and only three minutes remained until the next jump. Dabo’s side had only two "Wushan-class" battleships and about a dozen destroyers, putting them at a severe disadvantage.

If just one more enemy battleship jumped in, their defeat would be imminent. However, their mission was complete; the standing order from the Ministry of Defense was to hold the enemy for eight hours, and they had succeeded.

What remained was to deplete the enemy's strength as much as possible before their own inevitable demise, easing the burden on their comrades coming after them. Every soldier was prepared for death.

Behind them lay their beautiful homeworld, now on the verge of being ravaged by war. If they want to invade our home, they will have to get past us first.

"Our nation has signed a peace accord with Dabo; immediately cease all military action against Dabo." This urgent directive transmitted from the Supreme Command caused Honduras to choke and spit out blood right then and there. P: I spent the entire day today agonizing over the conclusion of the war, so the word count is a bit short; please bear with me.

The war will end in a few more chapters, but the outcome might be unexpected. New storylines are about to unfold, so stay tuned.

Finally, seeking recommendation votes and monthly passes.