Ying's tactical assessment of the rebels' intentions proved entirely accurate: Huazhou Youzhan, the supreme commander of the rebel base, intended to use the moment just after Yang Ying's forces had landed—while their positions were still unstable—to unleash a massive, all-out assault aimed at achieving a decisive victory in one fell swoop.

To maximize striking power, the rebel commander grimly deployed every remaining air unit not destroyed in the initial wave. Shelling from the battlecruiser fleet in space was devastating; under a chaotic bombardment, the ground airfield, warehouses, barracks, command tower, and fortifications were obliterated, leaving only the reserve fighters stored deep underground—a reserve force that initially constituted only one-fifth of their total air strength.

Now, the rebel commander committed this final one-fifth to the fight. Without air superiority, the ground troops would simply become targets.

"Those remnants of the Kingdom's army just won't let up!"

Inside the rebel military base's underground command center, a Flinn officer in a general’s uniform barked orders at his subordinates. He inquired of his staff officer, "What is the status of the ground advance?"

"The troops have reached the eastern Kuangfei area and are deploying," the staff officer reported.

"Maintain constant contact with the front-line commander. Switch the optical feed to the main screen; I want real-time awareness of everything happening on the battlefield." Although this Warker commander also wore a general's uniform, his rank was slightly subordinate to Fleet Commander Skuns. By Earth military standards, General Skuns held a rank equivalent to a Lieutenant General, while Warker’s position was closer to that of a Major General.

After Warker gave his command, the staff officers efficiently projected the optical feed from the front lines onto the command center's massive screen. Stretching as far as the eye could see, the rebel forces were deploying in a crescent formation. Robots led the vanguard, followed by a mixed contingent of infantry and various war machines, advancing to encircle the landing zone. Above them, a dense swarm of their own fighters flew over the ground troops like a dark cloud swept up by a gale, surging forward.

Warker nodded with satisfaction. Even representing just one-fifth of their air power, the force numbered over two thousand fighters. A formation of this magnitude overhead created a spectacle that genuinely eclipsed the sun within a dozen kilometers.

This was a military gamble. Warker was acutely aware of the losses sustained by the Dorun Star garrison during the enemy’s first attack. While some warships capable of space travel remained, all avenues for ascent were sealed. If any warship dared to reveal itself, it would face immediate, heavy fire, with no opportunity even to gain altitude, let alone retaliate.

But if they could blunt the enemy’s momentum on the ground, preventing a full landing, they could buy precious time for reinforcements to arrive.

"Those Kingdom Army curs want to seize Dorun Star? A pipe dream!" Warker’s eyes flashed menacingly as he muttered to himself, too quietly for others to hear, "As long as we control the ground, you cannot win. When I capture some prisoners, I’ll definitely send them to feed the Angus Dreadbeasts—no, that death is too quick, too easy for them. I should send them to the Nino Iron-Eaters; they can chew them up bit by bit. Just like those two spies who incited the workers last time; that spectacle was intensely satisfying. Hmph, anyone who dares attack the sector defended by Lord Warker must pay a heavy price!"

The Angus Dreadbeasts Warker mentioned were perhaps the fiercest beasts in the entire galaxy. They were born hunters, possessing flawless musculature and reflexes. Their iron claws could tear through even a Third-Tier expert. The Nino Iron-Eaters, on the other hand, were tenacious insects that could neither be killed nor smashed, capable of gnawing through even alloys. Both creatures were hazards whispered about in terror.

As Warker indulged in these brutal fantasies, a sudden, deafening roar shook him to his core. He looked up to see the optical image violently oscillating. The entire screen was engulfed in explosions and blinding flashes. The intense heat radiating from the glare was enough to make one sweat just by looking at it, illustrating the catastrophic impact instantly inflicted upon the ground forces ahead.

"The enemy is shelling us!" a Flinn staff officer shouted.

"Counterattack immediately! Have the artillery suppress their fire! What are you waiting for!"

Warker roared, his eyes bloodshot. He strode forward and slammed his fist against an iron railing in front of him, gouging four deep marks into the metal. The surrounding staff members, well aware of Warker's temper and his known brutality, immediately turned away, afraid to meet his gaze, terrified they might accidentally be assigned to clean the beast pens—a fate more perilous than the battlefield itself.

On the front lines of the Eastern Wilderness, the two sides had opened fire. Yang Ying’s side unleashed a tempest of artillery, directing an overwhelming barrage forward, instantly engulfing the rebel formation in a sea of fire.

The full designation for the tank was the Siege Tank; when deployed, it entered Siege Mode. These weapons were purpose-built for shattering hardened fortifications. Therefore, strictly speaking, the plasma tank cannon should be called the Plasma Siege Cannon. This heavy artillery piece had another name: "Thor's Hammer." The simple term "tank cannon" utterly failed to convey its power to shatter everything in its path.

The rebel troops caught in the bombardment suffered catastrophic losses. Limbs were scattered everywhere. The heavy mechanized units, which resembled massive fortresses, were torn apart; one shell would shatter the outer casing, the next would destroy the frame, and a third would send the wreckage skyward. A single impact affected an area of at least fifty to sixty meters, and a direct hit meant certain death, leaving behind nothing even to scavenge.

The battle in the sky commenced simultaneously. The rebel fighters suddenly detected countless air-to-air missiles erupting from seemingly empty space. Although they were prepared for invisible enemies, confronting invisible attacks firsthand revealed that mere preparation was insufficient. Unseen remained unseen.

A stream of devastating news reports flooded the command center. Warker grabbed his head and exploded, "What are the front-line troops doing! Are they just taking hits? Counterattack! Counterattack! What is the artillery doing? Where are our heavy guns?"

"General Warker, the enemy is outside the range of our artillery fire," the staff officer reported with a grimace. "Our heavy guns cannot reach them."

"Then send the fighters to attack the enemy's artillery positions. They aren't seeing anything now anyway; if they can only take hits, they might as well contribute something!" Warker paced back and forth with a strained expression, then commanded, "The enemy's firepower is too intense; we must deploy every usable unit immediately! Send the Ninth through the Twentieth Robot Legions into the fray."

"Yes!" The staff officers scrambled into action.

The hidden deployment bunkers surrounding the base opened, and perfectly aligned ranks of robotic troops marched out. These machines, devoid of life, fear, or mercy, obeying only programmed commands, held various weapons and moved in measured steps toward the battlefield. These basic robots consisted of little more than a skeleton structure with attached limbs, covered in thin armor. Their heads housed auditory/visual sensors and control chips, paired with inexpensive uranium-based guns. They were among the most widely used cannon fodder in the galaxy.

In addition to the cannon fodder, there was a smaller contingent of more imposing robots, standing about 1.9 meters tall, clad in heavy armor. From a distance, they resembled the knights of ancient Earth, but their tread was far heavier. They possessed more sophisticated weapon systems, delivering ferocious firepower and strong shock impact. Their low-power shielding allowed them to maintain operational integrity for longer periods. Some robots were even equipped with specialized motorcycles for faster marching or charging; at first glance, they truly looked like knights of the technological age.

Ten minutes later, the rebel heavy artillery units, enduring fire from Yang Ying’s side, finally reached their designated positions. The rebels used self-propelled howitzers; once in place, they used automatic supports to stabilize before firing.

As they prepared to fire, Yang Ying’s side shifted the target designation of their siege cannons to the rebel artillery positions. A fierce barrage nearly overturned the ground, and many rebel self-propelled guns were struck, exploding violently with shrapnel flying and flames erupting everywhere. Fire consumed everything, yet the rebels managed to erect several hundred cannons, preparing to fire back.

Simultaneously, some agile missile launchers broke into attack range, unleashing a torrent of missiles toward Yang Ying’s position, while the combat robots switched from walking to running, rapidly advancing forward.

Suddenly, the leading rebel units stepped onto mines—or rather, Spider Mines found them. Basketball-sized mechanical mines erupted from beneath the soil, hovering and moving swiftly toward targets before detonating in a massive explosion in less than a second. Few could react in time. The blasts triggered by the Spider Mines were sometimes even more destructive than the siege cannons. With sharp electronic chirps, towering columns of fire appeared across the battlefield.

The ferocious explosions flipped motorcycles, armored vehicles, missile launchers, and other troops who had moved too quickly and entered the minefield. The rebels were trapped: nowhere to run above, mines below, with their forces caught in the middle—like a sandwich.

However, the rebel artillery and missiles were not entirely without effect. Explosions destroyed dozens of tanks, and some marines sheltering in temporary positions were caught in the blast. Fortunately, the marines were highly proficient in tactical maneuvers; upon sensing danger, they immediately dropped prone, preventing massive casualties. Most sustained only light injuries; a few unlucky ones were seriously wounded. Medical transport craft immediately deployed, casting a brilliant emerald treatment light over the injured, whose wounds, both minor and severe, healed visibly and rapidly.

The battle has begun! The thrilling clash is underway! Yang Ying, striving to secure Monthly Tickets—a resource ten thousand times more precious than silicon ore—has pulled out all the stops. Everyone, please show some respect and hand over those Monthly Tickets!