Tang Wan immediately pulled up the command system for the Sentry Cannons, exclaiming with excitement, "Little Yezi, can I fire twenty all at once?"

Zi Ye decided not to restrict her thinking. "If you can, firing all of them at once is fine. I'll handle this side; the encirclement fleet from the north is approaching. I'll go deal with them."

Tang Wan glanced over at her light screen. The enemy fleet had crept right up to the edge of the Rose Garden, less than 300km away from them. A hint of worry touched her: "What if they spot us?"

Zi Ye remained calm. "Don't worry, they won't find us. Our mechs are equipped with the most advanced anti-reconnaissance systems, and we are currently cloaked."

Tang Wan sharpened her intent, "Then I can fight without restraint!"

Her fingers danced rapidly across the light screen, locking onto the enemy vessels, cueing the Sentry Cannons.

Since Zi Ye wasn't worried about the numbers, she decided to deploy every single Sentry Cannon she had!

Tang Wan grinned with unrestrained bravado, cracking her knuckles with audible pops. She took a deep breath, her entire focus fixed on the operation.

Under her command, the Sentry Cannons organized into seven squads. Each squad would fire thirty rounds per second, cycling through a full rotation every seven seconds—a relentless barrage, wave after wave, targeting only the very first enemy vessel.

The enemy fleet had barely finished its combat preparations before it was swallowed by the encirclement of the Sentry Cannons.

Quantity will always prove more useful than sheer power; this was an absolute truth.

Sha Luo had assumed taking down a single Rose Garden wouldn't require many personnel. If it weren't for the possibility of the Rose Garden forces escaping through another vector, he would have thought one fleet was sufficient.

Now, both of his fleets were pinned down and being actively attacked.

Veins throbbed visibly near Sha Luo's eyes.

This particular fleet consisted of eight warships, but the drone carrier at the rear had already been destroyed by those infernal Giant Hornets, leaving seven operational ships. Suddenly facing a swarm of Sentry Cannons buzzing like flies, Sha Luo dreaded a repeat of the drone carrier disaster. He hastily ordered the firing modules to adjust to banks of eight, unleashing a full-front assault.

Eight cannons firing simultaneously meant eight shots, just enough to neutralize one Sentry Cannon.

Seven battleships, launching a unified strike, could destroy seven Sentry Cannons at once.

Meanwhile, sixty Sentry Cannons could obliterate a single battleship.

This was a pure, head-on clash of attrition.

The moment the Sentry Cannons scored their first hit on the lead warship, seven of the cannons were immediately snagged by enemy targeting systems.

Tang Wan broke out in a cold sweat. "Little Yezi, they're trying to swarm me!"

Zi Ye was intensely focused on maneuvering the massive launch platform mounted on the asteroid. This apparatus required precise angular adjustments; a slight deviation could send the projectile careening towards an unknown planet.

She couldn't spare any attention for Tang Wan, responding without looking up, "Our sentries have shields, better than standard issue."

As she spoke, seven of the Sentry Cannons were struck.

One grazed past. Two scored direct hits. The remaining four met a grim fate, penetrated completely.

However, the Sentry Cannons' second wave was already cycling in.

The first wave's thirty shots resulted in twenty-seven impacts, and the second wave added another twenty-six hits. Simultaneously, five cannons from the second wave failed to retreat in time and were caught in the enemy's photonic blasts, lost forever.

The high rate of attrition made Tang Wan deeply anxious.

Fortunately, her Sentry Cannon queue was well-managed; the third wave surged forward the instant the second began to withdraw.

The lead battleship, unable to withstand the concentrated fire of the Sentry Cannons, disintegrated into shrapnel amidst the relentless downpour of shells.

Tang Wan clenched her fist. Finally, one battleship had been blown apart!

Watching the massive shockwave generated by the explosion bloom on her light screen, Tang Wan realized with crystal clarity: she had found the key to defeating them!

In this slugfest, the Sentry Cannons died quickly. But destroying thirteen Sentry Cannons to vaporize one enemy battleship was an exchange that heavily favored her side.

The cost of a Sentry Cannon was barely one-thousandth that of a battleship. Sacrificing thirteen for one enemy warship was a devastating loss for the opponent.

Furthermore, based on this attrition rate, destroying ninety-one Sentry Cannons would wipe out the entire enemy fleet. She possessed far more than a hundred Sentry Cannons; in a war of attrition based on numbers, she was guaranteed to win!

Tang Wan felt immense satisfaction with her brilliant strategy, though she silently prayed Zi Ye wouldn't mind the expenditure of Sentry Cannons. Every little bit counted; buying these cannons had been a significant investment.

In truth, Zi Ye was currently unable to spare even a single thought for her.

She had only one launch platform at her disposal.

The enemy fielded eight battleships.

The pressure on Zi Ye to win with superior tactics against overwhelming odds was immense.

The platform’s maximum range was 200km, but its optimal range was 145km.

Because the launcher was massive, adjusting its angle by even 1% required two seconds.

Currently, the enemy fleet was still 250km away.

Zi Ye kept her gaze locked on the lead enemy ship, rapidly calculating its time and position within the 145km sweet spot on a secondary screen, meticulously adjusting the launcher's angle.

Sweat beaded on Zi Ye's palms. This wasn't a quick skirmish; it was a fight for survival!

Soon, the enemy ships entered range. They failed to detect the platform on the asteroid, instead slightly increasing the distance between them before unleashing anti-matter light-burst shells toward the Rose Garden on the nearest asteroid.

Pffft—

The sound of the light-burst shells was muted, yet they instantly enveloped the outer layer of the protective shield, leeching away its elemental structure.

Then, another volley of light-bursts hammered the shield.

The shield, unable to resist the massive loss of material, revealed a gaping breach.

Those countless vibrant, seductive roses—the life's work painstakingly nurtured by the twisted sadist—were exposed to the enemy ordnance, utterly defenseless.

This was an outrage!

Zi Ye’s eyes burned red as she watched the display, yearning to slam the firing key and obliterate them all with a super-heavy nuclear missile!

Her hand hovered over the key, reaching out and then retracting, reaching out and then retracting, until finally, she did not press it.

She could not allow herself that action.

Firstly, they hadn't yet entered the optimal firing zone; a blind strike might not be effective.

Secondly, if she used the super-heavy nuclear missile, the Rose Garden would be lost forever.

This entire asteroid would be destroyed.

This entire sector of space would become contaminated, just like the Tupac Galaxy.

In the future, no roses could ever be cultivated here again!

The Rose Garden was the sadist's masterpiece, and it was the only place she could sit down and rest when exhausted.

She had to remain steady, eliminating them in a manner that preserved the Rose Garden!

Zi Ye regained her composure, continuing to track the battleship's movements as they slowly adjusted their firing angles.

Zi Ye stared intently as the enemy ships finally drifted into the optimal firing range, a cold smile playing on her lips as an aura of terrifying killing intent radiated from her.

13°, 14°, 15°. Angle adjustment complete.

The launcher system chimed in with the sadist's lecherous voice, "Darling, let's go!"

Zi Ye’s hands were steady as she pressed the firing key down hard.

BOOM—

A critical impact roared across the starscape, the sound deafening.

The entirety of space seemed to shake.

Tang Wan sprang up from her seat in shock. Dou Zai, that chubby little fellow, scrambled nimbly onto Zi Ye's lap, clutching her uniform tightly, eyes darting nervously around.

Ahead, a mushroom cloud rose to envelop the entire starscape where the Rose Garden had been.

In less than seconds, the mushroom cloud encompassed their mechs as well.

Zi Ye activated the micro-jump engine device, leaping 500km away in an instant. She patted Dou Zai, then told the still-shaken Tang Wan, "That fleet won't survive."

Tang Wan patted her chest and exhaled. "That scared the life out of me; I thought a planet had exploded." She looked at her light screen, realizing it was entirely obscured by the thick mushroom cloud, nothing visible, before she immediately laughed again. "I thought I was ruthless enough, but you’re even more savage! One shot to wipe out an entire fleet, hahaha, you're incredible!"

It was Zi Ye's first time using the giant launcher, and she hadn't felt fear during the firing sequence. Hearing Tang Wan's reaction, she felt her legs go slightly weak. She reached for her thermos, poured a cup of water for herself, paused, and then poured another for Tang Wan.

The two clinked their cups lightly and drank it all down in one gulp. In unison, they declared, "Excellent tea, excellent tea."

Afterward, they looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Regardless of the cost, they had won this battle.

But they had paid a heavy price.

The Rose Garden, being closest to the impact point, was certainly gone.

Zi Ye used the scanning system to re-map the asteroid belt.

Indeed, the enemy fleet was gone.

That asteroid was also gone.

The Rose Garden on the asteroid had vanished completely.

That region of space was now just an inky black void, nothing discernible.

The mushroom cloud had not yet dissipated, so Zi Ye dared not return to investigate immediately, forced to wait.

Tang Wan snapped a picture of the mushroom cloud scene and asked, "Little Yezi, this sector of space is contaminated now. What do we do?"

Zi Ye shook her head. "Don't worry. We specifically researched this type of missile; it refines and neutralizes the polluting agents. Even if humans were directly exposed to the explosion's mushroom cloud, it wouldn't be lethal. Besides, all of our Rose Gardens are protected by shields that prevent any scent from leaking out."

Tang Wan admired her. "You thought of everything so thoroughly!"

Zi Ye leaned back in her seat with a sigh. "The Wolf's Den isn't like the Tang Sect. Your Legion is powerful enough that no one dares violate your territory. The Wolf's Den is just starting to develop; the various legions across the galaxy are eyeing us covetously. If we aren't thorough, we won't survive."

Tang Wan reached out and pinched her cheek. "Stop sighing. I think after this event, no one will dare lightly attack your Wolf's Den again."

If a seemingly ordinary Rose Garden possessed such terrifying offensive power, what about their other assets? Seeing a girl only slightly younger than herself wield such terrifying capability suggested a path toward galactic dominance.

She thought for a moment, excitement bubbling up, "How about I join the Wolf's Den too, Little Yezi?"

Zi Ye chuckled softly, "Why?"

Tang Wan clenched her fist. "I think you're amazing, and I want to follow you."

Zi Ye decisively shook her head. "No. If you leave the Tang Sect, your brother will skin me alive."

Tang Wan pouted, dissatisfied. "But in the Tang Sect, they won't let me do anything significant. If I hadn't come here to see you, I wouldn't have known I was capable of blowing up enemy warships! I thought we looked incredibly cool just now!"

Zi Ye still shook her head.

Honestly, it was that leisurely, carefree life Tang Wan lived that Zi Ye envied.