Starting from the Planetary Governor - Chapter 578

Chapter 576, Stealing the Ship

After completing two rounds of ship-grabbing and firing all their missiles, the two Blackfishes had completed their mission.

Their strikes had been effective, and with their ammunition fully depleted, there was no need to remain. The carrier’s towing system kicked into action, and the two Blackfishes began to evacuate at a speed impossible for conventional ships.

It only took a moment for them to be towed away.

However, before they could complete their evacuation, another Blackfish was destroyed.

In the end, only one Blackfish managed to escape.

The sacrifice was worth it.

Trading two Blackfishes, plus the thousands of men aboard, for a battleship was an absolute bargain.

With the destruction of the Retribution-class, Alfonzo II had a wide-open door.

It was his next target.

After several more frigates had been eliminated, the Alfonzo Cult’s most powerful war ark was left without any protection.

All it had left was its heavy armor.

But how could armor alone be enough?

A warship’s survival in space naval battles relies on four methods of damage reduction: maneuvering and evading, fire interception, void shields/energy shields, and armor.

Without any one of these, a ship’s survivability is drastically reduced.

And now, the Alfonzo II is missing all three.

Due to the attacks from the Heroic Spirits aboard, and the psychic energy that nearly enveloped the entire ship after Dubo’s destruction, the Alfonzo II’s maneuvering and evasive fire interception capabilities have been largely crippled in their frenzied slaughter. After all, these two capabilities require human control. Without the crew, or with the control room or command center destroyed, how can they function?

Gu Hang had also torn the void shield apart.

The remaining armor, however thick, was useless.

Shortly after the destruction of the Retribution-class battleship, the Alfonzo II was also shattered to pieces by the relentless barrage.

The next target was the Zhuge-class aircraft carrier, the only one in the Alfonzo fleet.

After defeating it, the next target was a Serpent-class battlecruiser.

At this point, the Alfonzo fleet was on the verge of collapse.

By this point, the flagship, the Alfonzo II War Ark, an aircraft carrier, a battleship, and two battlecruisers—a total of five major warships—had been destroyed.

The Alliance’s losses had primarily come in the form of various small and medium-sized vessels. Six of the larger Moon-class cruisers had been lost, while one truly massive battlecruiser, the Koroja, had also been destroyed.

This was undoubtedly a significant loss, especially the Koroja’s destruction, which was a significant blow for the Alliance, which only had eight ships.

Along with these ships, at least one million sailors and marines had perished.

This was a fleet showdown.

At this scale, both sides were determined to determine victory and defeat, a fight to the death. That was it.

Furthermore, the Alliance’s fleet strength was at least a notch below that of the Alfonzo fleet. It was Gu Hang and the Space Marines’ boarding that turned the tide of battle to this point.

But even with that, losses were inevitable.

And this wasn’t even the end.

The decisive battle wasn’t over yet, especially since Gu Hang had ordered the fleet to press forward.

As the distance between the two sides decreased, the accuracy of the firepower would increase, making evasive maneuvers more difficult, and the overall intensity of the naval battle would intensify.

Of course, with Gu Hang in the fold, the Alliance fleet would have a greater advantage throughout the entire battle. After

all, the Alliance fleet’s entire strategy was essentially centered around leveraging Gu Hang’s powerful psychic abilities. His act of ripping through the void shields of the enemy’s key warships served as a signal for the fleet’s subsequent coordinated firepower to effectively destroy the enemy’s primary combat power.

Gu Hang was prepared to endure even greater losses, such as the loss of one or two more battlecruisers, or even the destruction of one of the Hippogriffs or the Firestar.

He was determined to completely annihilate Alfonzo’s fleet here.

The Alfonzo Fleet, on the other side, clearly sensed Gu Hang’s unwavering resolve.

Were they equally determined to fight the Alliance fleet to the bitter end, even at the cost of utter annihilation?

Would they dare to face utter destruction here, simply to inflict pain on the Alliance?

Their performance clearly indicated otherwise.

The entire Alfonzo Fleet had lost its brain, its backbone.

Although a Sage of the Main Occupation remained aboard the Emperor-class battleship, he should have taken over command of the fleet, but in reality, he failed to do so. The

fleet’s performance hadn’t improved.

In fact, under pressure from the Alliance fleet, he acted decisively: ordering the fleet to retreat!

This caused a furor and demonstrated the weakness of the Sage of the Main Occupation, the sole surviving Sage of the Main Occupation, over the fleet after the destruction of the War Ark. Some captains disagreed with his orders.

After all, no matter how heavy the losses, they still had the Emperor-class battleship and the Retribution-class, meaning they were still capable of fighting. Even if they couldn’t win, they couldn’t just turn around and retreat.

Their concerns weren’t without reason. If they completely withdrew from the battle, they would inevitably be pursued by the Alliance fleet. How many ships would be lost in the process?

Where could they retreat to?

The options for refuge in the entire Proud Claw Sector were quite limited.

Go to Heyang VIII? It was their stronghold, to be sure, but it had been raided by the Alliance, and its entire orbital defense system had been destroyed. Going there would be no different from being in deep space.

Go to the Vinchi-Vuchi line? That would be a good option. If they could reach it, they could use the well-developed defense system on this crucial route between the Proud Claw Sector and the Alfonzo Sector, not only giving them a chance to catch their breath, but also connecting with the Alfonzo Sector and receiving direct assistance from their base.

But…

it was too far.

How many ships could survive being pursued by the Alliance fleet and return to the Vinchi-Vuchi line?

No one could say for sure.

There was another destination that might be a good option—Phantom Moon.

The Fury Fleet, cornered and pursued, had halted in the system.

They had originally intended to await the arrival of the powerful Alfonzo Fleet, seeking a nearby location like Phantom Moon, where orbital defenses were relatively well-developed.

Their initial thinking was that they simply needed to hold out and avoid being destroyed before the main force of the Alfonzo Fleet arrived, and that would be their mission accomplished. Unexpectedly, the Alliance ignored them and instead targeted Alfonzo, their reinforcements.

They likely hadn’t yet received any news of the massive fleet engagement in the Bovan System.

Regardless, the presence of Space Marines there, two Chapters in all, gave the Alfonzo Cult a better response against boarding attacks. While the Fury Fleet had been defeated by the Phoenixes in the Dragonhawk Segmentum, they were still Space Marines after all!

Furthermore, they still had a battleship and a battle barge. Adding these two large vessels would significantly increase the fleet’s overall strength.

However, heading to Phantom Moon would mean moving deeper into the Pride Claw Segmentum, making their escape route even more difficult.

After joining forces with the now-defunct Fury and New World Torch, would they be able to regain the upper hand against the Alliance?

Probably not.

One Battle Barge plus one Retribution-class ship, what’s the difference between a War Ark plus one Retribution, one Zhuge, and two Dragon Serpents?

Wasn’t the Alfonzo Fleet badly beaten in its heyday?

If they couldn’t overcome the psychic pressure from Gu Hang, then increasing the fleet’s strength wouldn’t make much sense. The captains of the Alfonzo Fleet now fully realized that Gu Hang’s power was enough to level the strength of both fleets.

Unless the fleet’s strength could be increased by two levels, to the point where it could crush the Alliance fleet even without the Void Shield, they couldn’t win.

Each choice was difficult. The captains’ ideas were divided, and the sole remaining sage lacked the prestige to immediately and swiftly unify dissenting opinions and ensure everyone followed his orders after the destruction of Dubo and the War Ark.

These combined factors worsened the chaos within the Alfonzo fleet, not only failing to improve. The fleet’s resolve was split: a small number wanted to fight to the bitter end, while others were open to retreat, though they disagreed on the direction.

Throughout this process, the Alliance fleet pressed forward relentlessly, pressing ever closer. Gu Hang, too, saw ship after ship’s void shields ripped and then destroyed.

By this point, the Emperor-class battleship of the Alfonzo Cult had lost the patience to continue arguing with its colleagues.

The sage aboard issued a final order to all ships, commanding them to follow him in a breakout, aiming for the Wenqi and Wuqi lines.

It was more of a notice than an order.

The other captains in the fleet continued to argue and debate, attempting to voice their opinions. But the Emperor-class battleship ignored all else and retreated on its own.

Some ships followed, but the remaining ones became even more shaken, even in disarray.

At this point, no one knew they could continue to resist. The Emperor-class battleship’s departure had already doomed the strategy of fighting to the bitter end.

The captains of the ships that had originally intended to fight to the bitter end, hurling curses, could only turn and flee even faster.

The entire Alfonzo Cult collapsed.

They split in many directions, forming into numerous groups large and small, attempting to flee the battlefield.

At this point, the Alliance was unequivocally victorious.

The battle could be considered won.

But the war was not over yet.

Victory was only one aspect; the sweet fruits of victory were the most coveted.

After such tremendous effort and the hefty price paid, how could the Alliance fleet be content with simply “winning”?

Seizing this opportunity, it was imperative to eliminate as many of Alfonzo’s fleet’s remaining forces as possible.

Having lost the Corroga, and then the Steel Wing, the Alliance now had only six massive ships left. Honestly, they were still no match for the Alfonzo fleet. If they were allowed to recover, who knew what the outcome would be?

Of course, the Alfonzo fleet might no longer exist intact. Scattered and shattered, the fleet was shattered.

Despite this, the defeated Alfonzo fleet still retained considerable strength.

After all, it still possessed one Emperor-class, one Retribution-class, and six Serpent-class battlecruisers.

Facing such an enemy, the Alliance couldn’t afford to pursue them separately.

Any fleet that dared to act separately, without Gu Hang’s assistance, would likely be unable to withstand the Alfonzo fleet’s counterattack.

It’s likely that many Mechanicus fleets will eventually escape.

Since they’re destined to be unable to catch all the fish, they’ll definitely try to pick off the biggest ones.

Small and medium-sized vessels will be disregarded, and Gu Hang doesn’t even consider battlecruisers. After all, battlecruisers are relatively low-value and difficult to catch due to their speed.

At the same time, the sustainability of the fishing campaign must also be considered. Those heading towards Phantom Moon will be prioritized, as it’s closer. If the Mechanicus were to link up with the Fury Flame and the New World Torch, it wouldn’t be impossible to deal with them, but it would be a hassle.

As for those heading towards the Wuqi-Wenqi line, such as the Emperor, they can be put on hold for a while.

After all, the distance is long, and there’s still a long way to go.

Guided by this thinking, Gu Hang first targeted the largest fleet heading towards the Phantom Moon system.

This group of mechanical vessels was led by the only remaining Nemesis-class battleship, accompanied by three Serpent-class battlecruisers.

The fate of those targeted by Gu Hang was very miserable. One of the three dragon snakes was eliminated first, and the other two, seeing that the situation was not good, abandoned their teammates and sped away.

The battle cruiser was still fast, and it was a little difficult to catch up for a while.

However, the Retribution-class battleship that was left in place was too short to run.

After eliminating the surrounding frigates one by one, only one lonely Retribution-class battleship was left.

Its void shield had been torn open. If the Alliance Fleet wanted it to die, then even though it had thick armor and powerful firepower, it would still die.

However, Gu Hang became greedy.

How did the Alliance’s only Retribution-class battleship, the ‘Nova’, come from?

It was robbed!

How could he not grab such a good opportunity?

Gu Hang also thought the same about the Emperor-class ship that was heading towards the Wenqi-Wuqi line.

(End of this chapter)