Outside the atmosphere of Heaven Star, dozens of fist-sized black metal spheres slowly unfurled, and high-precision wide-angle lenses tentatively emerged. Reading quickly on the mobile phone: à.1κ .O Text version first release

The whereabouts of the three small fleets—the Asian Dao Alliance and two others—were laid out before Gu Xichen. Each fleet established a base on a small island situated three thousand kilometers east, three thousand seven hundred kilometers west, and four thousand kilometers south, respectively. Each small fleet carried over ten thousand ground combat personnel who, operating massive engineering machinery, erected the rudimentary forms of their bases in a short span of time.

The surveillance devices pre-positioned in space also noted that before entering the atmosphere, the three small fleets had each deployed nearly a hundred surveillance satellites, which were now operational.

“Heh heh heh, so that means the Earth Federation Army is on its way.” Gu Xichen chuckled, shaking the teacup in his hand. “Just don't disappoint me!”

The response from the Romans did not disappoint Gu Xichen. Upon seeing the arrival of the Asian Dao Alliance and the other two forces, they knew full well that the main body of the Earth Federation Army was right behind them. After concluding communications with the three parties, a mere thirty minutes later, the fleets of the nine great Roman Elector Families dispersed in various directions.

The fleet of the First Elector Family, led by Borujin and Yakjin, descended directly to the ground. Ten first-class warships landed around the Forward Base. Large numbers of Roman warriors and Ling Race thralls disembarked, operating fully automated engineering robots to commence base repairs. Dozens of other first-class warships launched a large contingent of fighters and smaller vessels, as masses of Roman warriors began their landing operations. The Devouring Nebula Trident unleashed a massive electromagnetic interference; a powerful electromagnetic pulse instantaneously swept across a range of several hundred kilometers.

This was a standard tactic employed by the Romans against the Earth Federation Army; an overwhelming electromagnetic pulse was sufficient to destroy all electronic equipment within its coverage.

More than ten kilometers away, the battlefield observation device carried on Xin Jia’s shoulder erupted with countless electrical sparks with a loud bang.

The light screen before Gu Xichen dimmed. He could no longer see the situation at the Forward Base, so he immediately sent a mental signal to Xin Jia.

Siren suddenly looked up: “Strike now?”

Gu Xichen said calmly, “If you’re not afraid of the Roman King ordering a pursuit, you had better pray you don’t blow up both his sons this time. Destroying a few first-class warships is already a monumental achievement!” He sneered at Siren, “We are mercenaries. Fighting these Romans to the death is the job of the military!”

Leaning back with his legs crossed, Gu Xichen took a sip of fragrant tea and said casually, “My Gu family are merchants; we only engage in business we can handle and whose risks we can afford!”

Xin Jia dropped the useless battlefield observation device, scooped up a handful of dirt, and scattered it toward the sky. A plume of yellow vapor erupted from the ground, and Xin Jia’s massive body burrowed beneath the earth. In an instant, Xin Jia arrived inside a vast subterranean cavern beneath the Forward Base. This cavern was packed full of explosives, leaving only just enough space for Xin Jia to fit. The top of the cavern was covered by a thin layer of metal plates, etched with faintly glowing runes, each several feet square.

It was these metal plates that shielded this enormous quantity of explosives from the scans of the Roman warships. All the metal plates were the handiwork of Xin Jia, who had expended vast amounts of rare metal ore and employed the Golden Crow Heavenly Fire Pillar to forge them.

A giant mechanical rotating disc sat atop the pile of explosives. Xin Jia wrenched the disc with fierce force, then hurriedly grabbed another handful of dirt, tossed it toward the sky, and vanished without a trace.

The disc began to turn with a tick-tock, tick-tock sound. In less than thirty seconds, a powerful metal spring inside the disc suddenly sprang up and smashed savagely into a chemical detonator.

The two glass vials inside the detonator shattered, and the viscous high-density energy fluid mixed instantly with the high-strength oxidizer, immediately generating massive amounts of light and heat. A small block of high explosive soaked in the detonator immediately ignited. The detonator burst open with a roar, spraying the mixed agents everywhere, and the thirty thousand tons of high explosives buried beneath the Forward Base detonated simultaneously.

The Devouring Nebula Trident had just settled onto the ground; its ten-meter-thick energy shield covering the hull was slowly weakening. The fifty family warships that landed alongside it had already retracted their energy shields; their shields were less than half the thickness of the Trident's, and they retracted them much faster.

Just then, a black-red pillar of fire tore through the ground less than ten meters below and shot skyward. The Devouring Nebula Trident, along with the dozens of warships escorting its landing, were instantly engulfed by the inferno. The ten first-class warships that had landed earlier—their ten-meter-thick specialized alloy armor plating vaporized into their most basic particles in less than one ten-thousandth of a second—vanished in the firelight, leaving behind only a searing black shadow.

Fire raged towards the heavens; black-red smoke and fire columns intertwined, seemingly rising slowly into the sky. The ground within a dozen kilometers rippled in concentric folds, immediately followed by large swathes of ground cracking open. Countless flashes of fire, carrying visible white shockwaves, surged upwards. The ground disintegrated, and a massive, glowing red crater appeared where the base once stood.

The Trident was hurled nearly a thousand meters into the air. Its external energy shield collapsed completely in less than three seconds. The long golden conduit at the stern snapped into dozens of pieces with a piercing creak. The warship’s main control computer rapidly sealed the hatches leading to the golden conduit, and the backup energy shield system instantly activated, enveloping the Trident once more in a thick, ten-meter-deep energy shield.

But the other warships were not so lucky. When the explosion occurred, their main control computers activated their energy shields immediately, but in their haste, the shields barely reached ten percent of their maximum power. In the first instant of the blast, their thin shields were completely shredded. The hulls twisted like pretzels, the thick armor plates ripped open, and intense heat and temperature rushed into the fractured vessels. The plasma engines and stored munitions detonated in a chain reaction, and the warships instantly disintegrated. Continuous secondary explosions erupted, each one spraying immense light and heat outwards, feeding the towering pillar of smoke and fire rising into the sky.

A massive mushroom cloud slowly ascended. Centered on the Forward Base, the primeval forest within a thirty-kilometer radius was leveled; countless giant trees were pulverized, countless others burned fiercely. The shockwave transformed into a gale that swept across hundreds of miles, uprooting large trees and tossing them far away.

Thirty thousand tons of specialized high explosives—with an explosive power 3.5 times that of standard TNT—resulted in an actual yield equivalent to a hundred-kiloton nuclear warhead!

With its tail conduit severed, the Devouring Nebula Trident, now only its main body, tore out of the mushroom cloud trailing thick smoke. The wails of Borujin and Yakjin seemed to penetrate the thick hull and energy shield, spreading across the entirety of Heaven Star. The entire fleet of the First Elector Family of the Romans was almost completely wiped out; sixty advanced warships turned to ash before they could even engage the Earth Federation Army.

As the flagship of the Roman King, the Devouring Nebula Trident's hull structure suffered severe damage; its body was twisted into a shape resembling a three-pronged plug.

Those observing from distant satellites gasped as they witnessed the scene.

Ruhua murmured to himself, “Such ruthless tactics. Did that Evil Dragon do this?”

Archbishop Andre’s handsome face contorted, “My God, these are the means of a demon!”

Bobbby burst into a sharp, mocking laugh, “Whoever did this, I like this person. They have great potential to join our ranks.”

In an instant, everyone understood. They exclaimed in awe, “How did he manage it? Are the Roman scanning instruments useless? Such massive explosive power—there must have been tens of thousands of tons of explosives buried. Didn’t the Romans detect such an intense energy reaction?”

Everyone became intensely fervent—Gu Xichen must have discovered something on this planet to achieve something so incredible! Pre-positioning explosives to ambush the Roman fleet? Someone had tried that before, but never succeeded. The Romans’ technological level was a step above the Earth Federation; their scanners could detect explosives buried hundreds of meters underground. Gu Xichen must have succeeded in calculating the Romans because he had found some precious treasure!

The three factions frantically activated their communicators, attempting to contact Gu Xichen using the high-authority communication codes secretly established by the Earth Federation. But Gu Xichen had long since unplugged the power cords to his communication devices; they had no way to reach him.

Before they could finish celebrating, the fleets of two other Elector Families, which had just arrived at their designated staging points, also ran into trouble.

These two locations were precisely the areas Gu Xichen had selected: scenic spots rich in nearby mineral deposits. These two Elector Family fleets followed the standard procedures outlined in the Roman Landing Manual: first, ten warships landed to secure the perimeter and deploy ground forces; next, they swept the surroundings with an electromagnetic pulse; finally, the family flagship descended slowly under the escort of the fleet.

The same massive explosions occurred. Both family fleets were annihilated in the firelight. Likewise, only the flagship equipped with the backup energy shield system managed to barely escape the blast.

Three flagships, trailing black smoke and alight with fire, hung isolated in the air. The direct descendants of the three Elector Families shrieked and cursed the vicious tactics of Gu Xichen on the public channel. The fleets of the other six Elector Families were momentarily frozen in the air, terrified, and no one dared to land recklessly anymore.

Three hundred and forty Roman first-class warships were destroyed in the three massive explosions, with one hundred and thirty lost, reducing the fleet’s strength by forty percent instantly.

On the ground, three massive, glowing red craters glared like the eyes of a demon at the Roman fleet, instilling a chilling aura of killing intent.

Borujin roared hoarsely, “I will kill those three bastards from the Advance Reconnaissance Team!”

Gu Xichen set down his teacup and smiled, “I imagine those three unfortunate souls we hypnotized and sent back are in for it. Hmm, the Romans have strong mental power; their hypnosis will wear off quickly. I am very curious to know what kind of torture they will endure.”

Linghu smiled and stroked his beard, nodding at Gu Xichen, “It’s a pity we only blew up three fleets.”

Gu Xichen shook his head and said calmly, “Don’t be greedy. Three family fleets—this is the greatest achievement the Earth Federation has managed against the Romans in the last twenty years. Hmm, I never expected that every single location we set up the ambush would happen to house a fleet; that was just a matter of probability.”

He took out the bamboo slip, fiddled with it for a moment, and then sneered, “Connect the communications to those three parties. When doing business, one cannot rely on probability; the immediate exchange of money for goods is much more satisfying.”

The communicators were reconnected to the power supply, and the forced communication codes belonging to Ruhua and the others immediately connected.

This time, Gu Xichen appeared on the light screen. Not giving Ruhua and the others a chance to speak, he immediately held up the bamboo slip, “One ancient scroll, detailing the tempering methods for over a dozen strange alloys. You have seen the practical effects in combat; they can perfectly shield against Roman scanners. It is now up for auction—highest bidder takes it!”

Ruhua and the others collectively sucked in a sharp breath, their eyes practically spewing fire.

Gu Xichen paused, then continued, “Furthermore, the coordinates of the valley where this scroll was discovered will be included as a free gift with the scroll. There are many other good things in that valley that you will surely find useful.”

Chaos immediately erupted over the communicators.

Ruhua roared, “What do you want? Money? Beauties? Or something else?”

Bishop Andre bellowed, “Mr. Gu Xichen, do you find the position of a Cardinal attractive?”

Bobbby simply held up ten fingers and shrieked, “Name your price! As long as our Sovereign God Alliance can provide it, we will absolutely agree!”

Gu Xichen smiled. Siren’s fingers twitched slightly as he reached up and lightly touched his chest.

Aridya took Siren’s hand and gently shook her head.

The Roman warships, which had been idling in the air for a long time, suddenly began to move.

Gu Xichen looked at the movement of the Roman warships displayed on the light screen and suddenly laughed. Waving the bamboo slip in his hand, he laughed, “Twelve hours from now, I will designate a location for the auction! Open bidding, fair trade, no cheating for old or young—what do you all think?”

Ruhua, Andre, and Bobbby exchanged glances, and then simultaneously said, “An excellent idea!”

Gu Xichen’s smile instantly turned several degrees colder than ice. He sneered, “However, the members of the Asian Dao Alliance’s Three Witch Sects should not participate. I ask the Asian Dao Alliance members to swear an oath that none of the information on this bamboo slip shall be revealed to anyone from the Three Witch Sects, or I will revoke the Asian Dao Alliance’s right to bid!”

Ruhua’s face stiffened, while Andre and Bobbby simultaneously applauded and laughed heartily.

The handsome young Daoist beside Ruhua sighed softly. He looked helplessly at Andre and Bobbby and slowly nodded, “Very well, we agree. If the Asian Dao Alliance obtains the scroll, we will not disclose a single word to the Three Witch Sects.”

The members of the Asian Dao Alliance swore oaths on the light screen, while only one dark-skinned youth with a sinister expression glared, his face blackened with anger.

Gu Xichen looked at the young man nonchalantly, and in full view of everyone present, he extended a middle finger toward the youth.

Just arrived home...... Strongly requesting recommendation votes...... My laptop is malfunctioning, I have to get it repaired this afternoon... Sigh...