Near Jupiter's orbit, a fierce engagement was underway. The five main fleets commanded by Weng Sha-lie, with the Ape-men at the vanguard, were locked in battle against the Earth Forces' Third and Fifth frontline main fleets.

Both Earth fleets had fully contracted their formations, merging their anti-air defenses into a single, impregnable hedgehog, while a total of eighty to ninety thousand various combat aircraft circled them.

Among those fighters were craft from both the Earth Forces and the Ancient Legion. Relying on the dual efforts of defensive artillery and fighter screens, the two fleets managed to barely hold off an assault by over nine thousand Viper fighters.

Initially, before the battle began, there had been more than ten thousand Viper fighters, but in the close-quarters contests with the Earth Forces' aircraft, about two thousand Vipers had been shot down or damaged beyond the point of redeployment.

The greatest contributors to this success were undoubtedly the first-generation Ghost fighters, which had only been equipped by the Earth Forces within the last six months.

While the Psionic fighters, formerly the aces of the Earth Forces on the battlefield, possessed higher efficiency than the Ghosts, their numbers were simply too few. The two frontline main fleets combined could only muster slightly over a thousand Psionics, placing them second to the fifteen thousand Ghost fighters.

Of those fifteen thousand Ghost fighters, the Third Fleet possessed ten thousand, while the Fifth Fleet had only five thousand.

The reason for this imbalance was, naturally, that Admiral Randolph, the commander of the Third Fleet, maintained a friendly relationship with the Terran Mercenary Group, thus receiving preferential treatment, with Yang Ying allocating a larger share to the Third Fleet.

Besides the Third Fleet, even the Earth Forces' First Fleet—dubbed the "Frontline of the Frontline Fleets"—only fielded seven thousand five hundred Ghost fighters.

Over the past half-year, through the Earth Forces' orders for Ghost fighters, the Terran Corporation had already accrued three trillion in profit, far exceeding initial forecasts. This profit had been converted into various raw materials, flowing back to the Floating Continent, manufacturing even more powerful weapons of war, greatly expanding the strength of the Human, God, and Insect races.

The scene shifted back to the battlefield. In this defensive contraction, the remaining ten thousand-plus Ghost fighters continued to play a crucial role. Under the cover of anti-air fire, they engaged the Viper fighters in close combat, preventing them from disrupting the warships’ operations. Simultaneously, whenever an opportunity arose, they fiercely engaged the standard Ape-men fighters.

Although the Earth Force pilots could not match Yang Ying's Ghost pilots in extracting the absolute maximum performance from the Ghost fighters, suppressing the regular Ape-men fighters was not an issue.

While maintaining their defensive barrage, the Third and Fifth Fleets also had to engage in artillery duels with the Ancient Legion using the main drilling cannons mounted on their warships. However, the constant harassment from enemy fighters severely reduced the accuracy of the uranium cannons. Sometimes, just as a cannon fired, a missile would strike near the gun emplacement, causing an explosion that shifted the firing angle by a few degrees. By the time the light beam reached the Ancient Legion's fleet, it might miss by several kilometers.

Conversely, the light beams originating from the opposing side were remarkably precise. In every wave of attack, warships were struck, and occasionally one would be annihilated into fragments, severely depressing the morale of the entire force.

At this critical juncture, the human side was clearly at a disadvantage across the board, mired in a bitter struggle.

In the center of the Ancient Legion fleet, within the bridge of a Dragon King-class battlecruiser.

"My Lord, a Level One distress signal has been received from the reinforcement fleet! They are under attack by unknown enemies whose military strength far surpasses their own!" an Ape-man staff officer reported loudly.

Weng Sha-lie started, slapping his armrest and standing up in alarm. "Issue an immediate verification request! I must know everything happening there! At this crucial moment, from where is such a superior enemy force materializing?!"

"Yes, Sir!"

The Ape-man staff officer rapidly manipulated the console. After a moment, he shook his head quickly, his voice laced with panic, "My Lord, we have lost contact with the reinforcement fleet!"

"Keep trying! Use every method available! I must know what happened there, no matter what!" Weng Sha-lie's sense of urgency escalated further, and a vague, inexplicable anxiety began to stir silently, though it vanished instantly, having no perceptible effect on him.

For Master Ao Feng, controlling his inner self was as effortless as controlling his limbs. Unnecessary emotions were nothing more than illusions—flowers in a mirror, the moon in the water—incapable of penetrating his core.

Every individual who cultivated their abilities to the level of Peak Master possessed a heart as firm as granite, unyielding. Those whose inner selves were easily swayed could not even achieve the Master realm, let alone the Peak Master level.

"My Lord, all methods have been exhausted. It appears the enemy is utilizing powerful jamming equipment, severing our connection with the reinforcement fleet." The staff officer stepped back after trying everything within his capability, still unable to reach the reinforcements.

"This doesn't seem like the work of Earth Marshal Alexander. And even if someone had devised such tactics for Alexander, they shouldn't possess the necessary strength to execute them. Have I overlooked something?"

At Weng Sha-lie's level of cultivation, his memory was not just eidetic; every single event experienced in his life was perfectly and vividly reconstructed within his mind. Thus, he possessed a clear understanding of the background, personality, and operational habits of every high-ranking Earth commander—an understanding even deeper than what those commanders held of themselves.

As an Earth Marshal, Alexander had been subjected to comprehensive scrutiny by the Ancient Legion. Before initiating this battle, Weng Sha-lie had calculated every possible reaction from Alexander and simulated the engagement multiple times in his mind, each resulting in victory.

However, in not a single simulation had he anticipated that the Earth Forces could muster sufficient strength at this critical juncture to force the reinforcement fleet into issuing a Level One distress signal.

"The battlefield is dynamic; even for a Peak Master like myself, it is impossible to grasp every variable," Weng Sha-lie frowned, his mind rapidly simulating the battlefield situation to calculate the impact of this new information.

"Lord Weng Sha-lie, we are twelve hours away from the reinforcement fleet. Unless we dispatch a massive contingent of Viper fighters for support, we cannot reduce that travel time to under five hours," the Vice-Captain suggested as Weng Sha-lie fell deep in thought.

"If the enemy has launched a surprise attack on our reinforcements, this is precisely what they intend. If we pull out a large number of Vipers, then succeeding in destroying these two existing fleets before enemy reinforcements arrive becomes virtually impossible," Weng Sha-lie remained focused on his introspection, closing his eyes as if the surrounding reality had ceased to exist.

"But, My Lord, the reinforcement fleet carries vital supplies, engineering corps, and raw materials we depend upon to resist the superior numbers of the Earth Forces. If they are annihilated, holding off the Earth offensive with our currently imperfect defense system will be extremely difficult."

This Vice-Captain was also a Master-level expert. Ordinary Ape-men, and even most high-ranking Ape-men, would not dare offer suggestions in Weng Sha-lie's presence.

Weng Sha-lie opened his eyes and turned to the Vice-Captain, asking, "But what if we send the Vipers over, and the reinforcement fleet has already been destroyed?"

"How could that be possible?" the Vice-Captain exclaimed in surprise. "The commanders of the reinforcement fleet are Lord Mika and Lord Bensa. Even facing an enemy force with more than double their strength, they should be capable of protecting the supplies for five hours."

Weng Sha-lie shook his head, closing his eyes to concentrate for a moment. His brow furrowed deeper. "Since dawn, I have felt unease. The very names Mika and Bensa sent a wave of foreboding through me. They are likely already..."

The Vice-Captain immediately stepped back. He certainly understood the word Weng Sha-lie left unspoken. "What? Lord Weng Sha-lie, the Level One signal was only just sent. How could Lord Mika and Lord Bensa have already been... sacrificed?"

Weng Sha-lie nodded. "It is incredibly difficult to accept, but this possibility must be factored in."

The Vice-Captain fell silent. In this situation, he didn't know what to say and chose to remain quiet.

Weng Sha-lie walked to the front of the bridge, gazing at the distant Earth warships displayed on the optical screen. He clenched his hands until the veins stood out, roaring, "Withdraw the Viper fighters! Maneuver immediately toward the reinforcement fleet's bearing! We will continue the attack and eliminate as many as we can!"

"My Lord?" the Vice-Captain asked softly, "Since you believe Lords Mika and Bensa are already lost, why must we still—"

"We Ancient Legionnaires are few; every individual is precious. If there is even a one-in-ten chance of rescuing them, we must try. Even completely wiping out the Earth Forces' two frontline main fleets here would not compensate for the loss of the reinforcement fleet. Now, we can only hope the reinforcement fleet can hold out until the Vipers arrive."

Weng Sha-lie spoke each word deliberately, the sound seemingly forced from his throat, conveying the immense difficulty of this decision.

"My Lord, please allow me to go as well," the Vice-Captain pleaded, offering himself for the task.

"No, you remain here. I will go!" Weng Sha-lie spun around, his killing intent so tangible it felt like solidified matter. An arctic chill seemed to sweep through the bridge, chilling the marrow.

The Vice-Captain started but reacted instantly, bowing deeply. "Yes, My Lord."

Shortly thereafter, Weng Sha-lie's gray fighter launched from the hangar. Simultaneously, the Viper fighters encircling the Third and Fifth Fleets withdrew, leaving behind ten Ape-man Master-level fighters to balance the ten Master-level fighters from the Psionics.

Nearly ten thousand Viper fighters, five Ape-man Master-level fighters, and Weng Sha-lie rendezvoused and flew toward the direction of the reinforcement fleet.