The plasma cannon fires a bolt of superheated, solid plasma; its effective range is inherently limited. Although Ganymede's low gravity allows the plasma cannon to reach slightly further, five hundred meters remains the practical limit.

As long as any robot operating a plasma cannon is eliminated outside that five-hundred-meter radius, and the cannons themselves are destroyed, the remaining weaponry carried by the combat robots will pose little threat to the Thors.

In a few swift moves, the remaining robots within that formation were annihilated, and the three Thors pivoted toward the next block.

At this moment, observing the Thors appearing before them, the electronic eyes atop the surrounding combat robots immediately glowed blood-red. A dozen formations rapidly converged on the location, while even more distant formations began to close in.

Tens of thousands of robots within firing range simultaneously raised their Uranium Rifles and Anti-Tank Rockets, launching a full-spectrum assault on the one Thor whose leg armor had been damaged.

A relentless barrage of beams plastered the entire surface armor of that Thor, creating a spectacular, blooming tapestry that traced dazzling ribbons of light—a fountain of brilliance erupting across the machine's hull. The entire unit blazed like a fiery, glittering tree; the beams enveloped it completely, making the underlying armor almost invisible.

The Thor's speed was not slow, but it could hardly be called agile; its sheer size dictated that it was built primarily as a massive mobile turret, making close combat its weak point. It couldn't dodge; wherever it moved, this continuous torrent of beams followed.

"Warning! Warning! External hull temperature rising rapidly. Potential for melting in fifty-nine seconds. Immediate action advised. Initiate cooling! Initiate cooling."

The duplicate occupying the cockpit received the self-diagnostic report, slapped its own head, and shook it wryly. "I hadn't anticipated that a concentration of mere cannon fodder could prove this difficult to handle."

"First strike is paramount," a nearby duplicate stated.

"Command: Siege Tank units, commence firing on the formations surrounding us." The third duplicate activated its communicator and issued the order to the Siege Tank forces.

Then, the three Thors strode forward toward one formation, looming over them. They precisely targeted the robots wielding plasma cannons at the heart of the formation. The dual-linked Level Four Uranium Cannons mounted on their shoulders simultaneously opened fire.

The firepower of a Level Four Drill Cannon is equivalent to that of a light cruiser’s main gun. Twelve Level Four Uranium Rifles instantly vaporized every robot at the center of that small formation!

Following this, twelve beams of light split into six streams, slicing through the formation from six different directions—as easily as cutting a cake—instantly shattering it into pieces.

Immediately after, the Hammer-fire Machine Cannons unleashed their full fury. Simultaneously, several kilometers away, within the siege tank emplacements, hundreds of tanks opened fire, instantly blanketing the entire original formation and picking off the remaining robots one by one.

"This is effective; we'll proceed like this from now on."

The duplicates were highly satisfied with the execution of this coordinated assault, eliminating two thousand five hundred robots in one formation within moments.

Next, the three Thors began seeking their next target.

The Sphere Army soldiers trailing behind the Thors were instantly galvanized by the display of power. They regrouped immediately and charged back toward the robot formations.

However, the Thors could only cover a small stretch of the front line. Across the entire battle line, robot formations, charging through human artillery fire, managed to punch through the armored divisions in several places, reaching the infantry skirmish lines and engaging the foot soldiers.

These combat robots truly lived up to their designation as killing machines. Their electronic eyes flashed red, devoid of any emotion, fearless of death, showing no mercy. They never crouched or assumed prone positions; they simply advanced while firing, their Hammer-fire Guns nearly ceaseless. Relying on the depth of their formations, for every few that fell at the front, others stepped up immediately behind them. The Earth Defense Forces simply could not halt their advance.

After another half hour, the combat robots had sustained over sixty percent losses amidst the fierce bombardment—exceeding six hundred thousand casualties; this was double the total losses of the Earth Defense Forces, which had only suffered fifty thousand casualties. In comparison, the performance was far superior.

But several formations had already pierced the Earth Defense line and were now behind the main forces, continuing their advance toward the artillery positions.

At the absolute front line, the three Thors stood back-to-back, facing left, center, and right respectively. Their rear was protected by the Earth Defense ground troops. They were currently surrounded by more than fifty thousand combat robots, with another fifty thousand robots forming skirmish lines rapidly closing in from behind.

The three Thors had become the linchpin of the entire front; their strategic importance was so great that the Ancient Legion likely believed that eliminating these three units would shatter the morale of the entire Earth Defense ground forces, leading to a total human rout.

By this point, all three Thors were heavily pockmarked, testifying to the intensity of the fighting. A large part of their endurance stemmed from the supporting Siege Tank units in the rear. The Siege Tanks’ firing range covered the entire battlefield, eliminating any reach issues. Guided by Observers, their fire became increasingly precise, allowing a single coordinated salvo to eliminate ever-increasing numbers of robots.

The bombardment from the Siege Tanks had a splash effect. An estimate suggested that one such hit could easily obliterate a ten-by-ten grid—one hundred combat robots—with a single shot. In a scenario of perfect attack conditions, the simultaneous fire of just twenty-five tanks could send an entire formation skyward.

However, since tank artillery shells create circular blast zones in reality, leaving some gaps uncovered, each engagement against a full formation utilized three batteries totaling thirty-six tanks.

Naturally, reality rarely matched theoretical perfection. The shockwaves from large-caliber artillery often shook the gun emplacements, and muzzle blast could disrupt the aiming of adjacent cannons, causing shell impacts to scatter somewhat. Thankfully, these errors remained within an acceptable range.

Over the past half hour, approximately one hundred thousand combat robots had been obliterated by the Siege Tank barrage. Consequently, the Ancient Legion had learned its lesson, realizing the formation tactic was futile against the precision fire of the Siege Tanks. They switched tactics, dismantling the robot formations into skirmish lines to surround the three Thors.

This change significantly reduced the threat posed by the Siege Tanks to the robot formations, while simultaneously lessening the pressure these formations exerted on the Earth Defense Forces.

Even though the formations were broken up, the Siege Tanks continued to eliminate dense clusters of robots identified by the Observers.

Inside that massive command vehicle, several high-ranking officers watched the displays on the optical screens with varied expressions.

"It's understandable that the Trant Mercenary Corps' tank units can function as artillery, but how is it that their semi-competent artillery possesses greater precision than our own?"

"More accurate aiming is certainly due to a specialized fire-control system that factors out or incorporates every variable influencing trajectory, resulting in vastly improved hit probability. What other explanation could there be?"

"The Trant Mercenary Corps is backed by the Trant Corporation. I heard that company has grown rapidly over the last year, developing quite a few new technologies. It seems they truly live up to their reputation now."

"In terms of military technology, who can surpass the Caesar Group! Even though the chaos six months ago severely damaged the Caesar Group, as long as the foundation of their armories remains, recovery is inevitable. I heard recently that the Laurel-class battlecruiser has finalized its design and can enter mass production. I suspect the Pacific-class ships in major fleets will soon become obsolete antiques."

"You're getting off track; this is a battlefield. Maintain focus and tension. The outcome is still undecided."

"Fine. I suggest we commit an entire division of reserves here."

Blinding beams swept through the robot skirmish lines. Every coordinated volley from the three Thors carved out a large swath of open ground, while the continuous assault from the Machine Cannons brought down combat robots like harvested grain.

As the battle progressed, the robot front line began to waver. The three Thors stood like three unmoving reefs; no matter how massive the waves that crashed against them, the foundation of the reefs remained unshaken.

The robots possessed no true self-awareness, only intelligent programming designed for obedience. Their directive was to eliminate the three Thors, and they would not falter regardless of the losses incurred.

Eventually, as the robots dwindled under the combined assault of the Thors and the Siege Tanks, a clear rout began to show.

The robots that had penetrated the front line and headed toward the artillery positions were intercepted by reserve units dispatched by the Earth Defense Forces. This fresh force, after neutralizing the robots, joined the primary front line, finally allowing the Earth Defense Forces to gain the upper hand over the robot forces!

After another half hour, the Earth Defense Forces stepped over the remnants of the last robots and continued their advance toward Base Two.

In the skies above, the fighter squadrons of both sides remained deadlocked. The Earth Defense fighters held a slight disadvantage, but upon witnessing the annihilation of the ground combat robot forces, the Ancient Legion's fighter pilots clearly lost some confidence, and they swiftly retreated into space.

Fortress Two seemed utterly undefended, exposed before the Earth Defense Forces.

At this moment, an Earth Defense detachment appeared in the outer orbit of Callisto—a splinter fleet drawn from the Third Fleet, led by Rudolph, which had arrived here.

The detachment halted outside the effective range of the fortress's weaponry and dispatched several landing craft toward Callisto, escorted by three hundred fighter jets.

On the bridge, Rudolph rubbed his forehead, his lips trembling slightly, muttering something to himself.

The landing craft were detected almost immediately upon approaching Callisto. Over five hundred Ape-class fighters launched from the moon's surface, intent on intercepting the landing party.

However, just as they neared the landing force, a Zen Master-class N-Energy fighter suddenly broke out from the escort group. In a few quick moves, it scattered the Ape fighter swarm. The escort fighters then moved in to mop up, utterly routing the Ape forces.

The landing party then secured a safe touchdown on Callisto.

On a small hill in the distance, the duplicate left behind by Yang Xian lowered the binoculars without a word and began walking down the slope.

This is the final triple update; from today onward, the schedule reverts to two updates per day.

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