Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high! Chapter 1099 - 744: Encirclement and Annihilation

Under the cold, absolute calculations and total dominion of the "Electronic Demon," the United Fleet's retreat rapidly transformed into a chaotic rout.

The "uncontrolled" New Bauhinia forces executed a pursuit with astounding precision, exploiting every fragment of space debris and every surge of energy turbulence as both cover and deadly traps, effectively isolating, surrounding, and annihilating the retreating enemy units one by one.

In the vast expanse of space, the warships of the United Fleet detonated like fireworks set ablaze, their fragments scattering in all directions.

Simultaneously, on the planet's surface, the invading strike teams and their drop pods met a similarly catastrophic fate.

The seemingly tranquil landscape of the Mine Star was suddenly revealed to be a treacherous death zone, bristling with lethal mechanisms.

Automated defense turrets emerged from unforeseen locations, disabled mecha units unexpectedly "reanimated" to launch desperate, suicidal charges, and even certain civilian structures broadcasted disruptive jamming signals or detonated explosives.

The conflict concluded in less than an hour subsequent to the "Electronic Demon's" intervention.

Directed by the "Electronic Demon" – a cold, absolute, and incomprehensible intelligence surpassing human understanding – the combined fleet of the Star Alliance and Peak Alliance endured a rout that was nothing short of a massacre.

In orbit, the majority of the warships were reduced to burning hulks, precisely destroyed, seized, or "requisitioned" by those "uncontrolled" New Bauhinia forces.

However, even the most meticulously devised encirclement can harbor oversights, particularly within an unprecedentedly large-scale and extraordinarily complex cosmic battlefield environment.

The flagship "Glorious Fate," shielded by the desperate defense of several heavy cruisers initially positioned at the periphery for long-range bombardment or electronic warfare suppression, alongside several high-speed reconnaissance vessels, and bolstered by its superior engine capabilities and the commander's desperate, over-capacity warp jump, managed to narrowly escape that deadly combat theatre.

They dared not glance backward or reduce speed, instead pushing their engines to their absolute limits in a frantic flight towards the nearest Star Alliance-controlled star domain.

The vessel bore the heavy scars of battle, its communication systems largely incapacitated, and it was filled with wounded and demoralized survivors.

What they carried back was not merely the ignominy of a crushing defeat, but also fragmented yet profoundly shocking data, capturing the horrifying tableau of the battlefield –

Ally warships controlled as if by invisible puppeteers, both friendly and enemy debris "reviving" to attack, and that chilling, inhuman "voice" reverberating through the communication channels of all involved participants.

When these surviving vessels, after arduous trials, finally conveyed this intelligence back to the highest echelons of the Star Alliance and Peak Alliance, the resulting shockwaves dwarfed any prior suppression or conflict.

Terror gripped them.

This was the unified sentiment among all the high-ranking officials who received reports from personnel who had fled the front lines and witnessed those ghastly scenes.

"The entire battlefield came alive... every machine, friend or foe, even wreckage, assaulted us!"

"That is most certainly not some advanced AI or electronic warfare! That is... it's 'that'! The 'Electronic Demon'! The fabled source of the Intelligent Machinery revolt!"

"New Bauhinia... Bai E! Not only did they secretly develop Intelligent Mechanical Technology, but they actually... resurrected that forbidden entity!"

"Our prior suspicions and accusations have been proven correct! They weren't merely researching; they were collaborating! To gain power, they unleashed the demon!"

A wave of panic surged through the decision-making circles, spreading like a cosmic deep freeze.

If the prior efforts to suppress Bai E and New Bauhinia had been tinged with suspicion, apprehension, and the complexities of competing interests,

then now, with the news of the potential reawakening of the "Electronic Demon," all hesitancy and discord were instantly supplanted by a primal dread stemming from historical trauma.

The specter of the Intelligent Machinery revolt was a wound deeply etched into the collective memory of all human civilization's high-level leadership.

That terrifying entity, which had nearly brought about humanity's downfall and compelled civilization to pivot towards "human brain computation," posed a threat, in certain aspects, far exceeding that of the Bug Race, our "external aggressors."

While the Bug Race consumes matter and life, the "Electronic Demon" corrupts the very foundations of civilization – technology and Order itself.

Consequently, a swift emergency conference was convened, directly initiated by the highest echelons of the Seven Sons of the Empire and rapidly endorsed by the overwhelming majority of the Star Council members.

The singular agenda item for this meeting was unequivocal: determining the appropriate response to the suspected revival of the "Electronic Demon" and its world-ending menace, compounded by the forces of New Bauhinia.

The meeting concluded with remarkable speed, a consensus forged instantly amidst the prevailing fears and disagreements.

An unparalleled, top-tier 'Extinction Order' was swiftly ratified. Under the auspices of the Star Council's highest security body, this decree was disseminated to all recognized human factions across the cosmos:

"Urgent Dispatch! Confirmation has been received: the 'Peak Star Zone Gray Ridge Star' (previously known as Bauhinia Mine Star) vicinity exhibits renewed activity and significant presence of the 'Electronic Demon.' This has resulted in the near-annihilation of the Star Alliance-Peak Alliance Joint Fleet. The 'Electronic Demon' represents an ultimate, forbidden peril to human existence, its very being a declaration of total war against all humankind. Consequently, in accordance with the 'Star Alliance Emergency State Law' and the 'Convention Against Intelligent Machinery Uprising,' the following directives are enacted:

One: Effective immediately, a paramount 'Extinction-level' quarantine and offensive mandate is imposed upon the 'New Bauhinia Republic' and its dominion. All human forces are duty-bound and empowered to employ any and all methods necessary to assault and annihilate any entities associated with this faction, thereby halting the proliferation of the 'Electronic Demon.'

Two: All non-critical interplanetary transit and commerce shall cease. Every faction must promptly conduct internal audits and purge any electronic systems, automated apparatus, or Intelligent Mechanical Technology susceptible to contamination or infiltration by the 'Electronic Demon.'"