Counterfeit Hero

Flavio didn’t continue speaking; the expression on Markey’s face said it all.

What Tian Xingjian leads is merely a ragtag force assembled from Mars; their warships and military discipline are worlds apart compared to the Republic of Binart’s most elite Elephant-level fleet. Perhaps just a single attack from a Binart Empire’s fleet could completely defeat them!

And in the depths of the Bermuda Nebula, after hiding for several months and losing touch with the situation, with no intelligence support, and almost depleted energy supplies, how could the Hidden Blade Fleet dare to risk losing Leray’s last power and hit against a rock?

A major retreat once more from their homeland seems to be the only option.

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At the border between Feiyang Republic and Chuckna Republic lies a star system named Triflan.

This star system is just a small province of Feiyang Republic, with a small planet having a population of less than ten million and three nearly exhausted resource planets; its geography might be the most notable aspect. With six A-level interstellar jump points, the Triflan Star System connects the heartland of Feiyang Republic and enclaves of Chuckna, Silliac, and Ryan Republic.

Now, the Immigration Star known as Akasa has become the headquarters of the Fei Alliance Joint Command. The main camp is set up here, primarily for geographical suitability, and secondly as a tradition of the Fei Alliance.

Akasa Star not only has over twenty large military bases and more than two hundred spaceports of varying size but also boasts a complete and robust wartime command system established since three hundred years ago and logistics warehouses scattered deep in the star system.

More importantly, it houses the fort claimed to be never breached: the Akasa Space Fortress, location of the United Command Headquarters.

Among the nations of humanity, apart from Desic and Suss each holding a small fortress, Ryan, Naga Federation, and Jiepeng Empire each possess a medium fortress. The other dozen or so fortresses are held by Feiyang Republic and Binart Empire. These super battle fortresses can station several Super Fleets, have a complete defense system, and can move freely. In a sense, they represent the military strength of each nation.

A battleship slowly drifted past the porthole, and before it faded into the star’s light, another battleship glided by at the same speed and trajectory.

Inside the porthole, chaos and noise surged—voices, footsteps, electronic sounds blended in a mix.

At the center of the enormous hexagonal hall’s high dome, a sixty-meter diameter virtual screen quietly hovered. Its changing images seemed like a tiny world. Below the light screen is a giant central computer encircled by three rings of control panels. Soldiers in varied uniforms from different countries busily swarmed around like ants. Several floating elevators occasionally ascended and descended mid-air, platforms on the hexagonal wall’s midsection serving rooms with various functions, doors repeatedly opening and closing before the bustling soldiers.

Perhaps the only quiet zone was the three-layered arc platform close to the Space Fortress’s impossibly thick outerwall armor. Hundreds of armed guards kept the platform strictly controlled from top to bottom. Though in the same room, this area’s quiet and the surrounding noise formed an extreme contrast, as if an invisible barrier separated them.

A Feiyang Colonel Major swiftly approached an elevator, inserting his identity card into the recognition device beside an expressionless guard. Standing in a designated area, then receiving DNE instant capture and identification, finally allowed him to board the elevator. Passing through the second guard tier and entering the third platform room door, the same procedure with different types of checks repeated twice.

As the white automatic alloy door opened, the Colonel Major slipped in, and all eyes inside were focused on him.

”How is it?” asked Admiral McKinley, Feiyang Interstellar Navy Deputy Chief of Staff and ranked ninth among great generals, putting down the electronic baton and addressing the Colonel Major entering the door.

”Reporting, General,” the Colonel Major briskly stepped forward to salute McKinley and handed over an electronic file: ”This is the latest battle report just received.”

”Oh?” McKinley opened the electronic file, speaking in a deep voice: ”Is there a report from the Longbow Star System?”

”None, General!” the Colonel Major stood at attention and replied: ”The latest intelligence is still from four days ago. The 19th Group Fleet is still unreachable. The intelligence network deployed by the Intelligence Bureau on the three immigrant planets of the Longbow Star System also hasn’t sent back any confirmed news on the battle. We only know that fighting continues.”

McKinley frowned in disappointment, his thick eyebrows almost overshadowing his deep-set, slender eyes. The seven or eight generals in different uniforms standing around the giant electronic simulation platform also stirred restlessly.

”It seems the 19th Group Fleet faces bleak prospects,” sighed Ryan Republic Admiral Leon Yulis, rubbing his chin, solemnly looking at McKinley: ”Hanfrey’s two Royal Elephant-level Fleets are one hundred and seventy percent the size of the 19th Group Fleet. Their combat power might be double.”