Chapter 395: Flames of War! Death Race and the Productivity Showdown!
"Since the Zerg swarm is charging in full force, should we consider taking the initiative and intercepting part of their fleet before they reach us?"
Jack Wells raised the question.
Going in head-on and taking the fight to the enemy was his go-to tactic. Sure, it might be a bit simple-minded, but brute force often produced miracles.
Just like last time, in the Transformers universe, when the Megacorp's vanguard forces intercepted the bounty hunters, the results had been phenomenal.
Maybe it would work just as well this time!
"No. Our mission this time isn't to wipe out the Zerg's main force. It's to capture the Queen of Blades. Deploying fleets to intercept them would be meaningless."
V immediately shot the idea down. He understood clearly what the real objective was. If the goal were just to kill bugs, the Megacorp could have simply released a mass payload of Scorpid Manticore Virus Spores.
Why waste time and effort sending out strike fleets?
Thanks to the Megacorp's meticulously prepared defense network, they likely wouldn't need to.
"We've deployed nearly 100,000 orbital hard-light cannons in the outer stellar orbit. While they may not guarantee complete interception of the Zerg swarm…"
"They should at least slow down the Zerg assault and inflict heavy casualties—maybe even force the Queen of Blades to reveal herself."
David Martinez added. According to intelligence, the Zerg forces across the entire Koprulu Sector numbered in the tens of billions.
With the swarm going all in, the scale would likely exceed even the Megacorp's most pessimistic estimates.
Under such circumstances, the orbital hard-light cannon arrays could only do so much. After all, when Mutalisks come screaming down and the sky is blotted out by the swarm, it's hard to believe a few defensive lines would be enough.
David wasn't sure whether extra reinforcements were needed, which is why he brought up this not-so-crucial question during the meeting.
"Don't worry. The Zerg's main objective is the Keystone. They won't waste time mounting a full-scale assault to systematically wipe out every orbital defense zone."
"I think they'll likely concentrate their forces and attempt a rapid breakthrough—tear through the defenses and head straight for the inner orbital zone."
Li Ang analyzed calmly.
He was thinking from Amon's perspective. Right now, with humanity in possession of the Keystone, that threat had to be neutralized—fast—before any further moves could be made.
Given the timeline and the current situation, Amon couldn't afford to wait.
"If the Zerg do concentrate their forces for a blitz breakthrough, that's nothing to fear either."
Even during its charging phase, the Keystone could still unleash localized psionic shockwaves, and those blasts were deadly to the Zerg.
Even if the Queen of Blades led the charge herself, she wouldn't be able to reach the inner orbital zone quickly enough to land on the Megacorp's front-line base star.
After Li Ang 's detailed breakdown, the gathered executives began to understand: in this scenario, the Queen of Blades had very limited options.
The Zerg couldn't afford to go step-by-step, slowly dismantling the Megacorp's defenses—that would take far too long. Pushing all the way to the inner orbital zone could take one to two months.
But if they tried an all-out charge for a quick victory, the Keystone's psionic shockwaves would inflict devastating losses.
No matter which option she chose, the Megacorp held the upper hand.
This was a strategic match between Amon and Li Ang , and it would all come down to who lost their cool first.
"So our next step is to stall the Zerg advance as much as possible—give the Keystone time to unleash its full potential."
"As long as we keep the Keystone at the front-line base, it doesn't matter how many Zerg come—they're basically throwing themselves into the meat grinder!"
Morgan Blackhand concluded the meeting, cementing the Megacorp's next course of action.
"This will be a brutal battle. It's been a long time since we fought a defensive counterstrike," David Martinez muttered, taking a deep breath, his tone heavy.
No matter how anxious they were, this day had finally come. Everyone was ready. All that remained was to wait for the Queen of Blades to arrive.
At that moment, the Keystone was delivered to the front-line base HQ. To charge it, the Megacorp had directly linked it to the engine core of a War Moon.
The long-absent signal from the Keystone flared to life again, and with that, the Zerg—like sharks smelling blood—would soon come swarming in.
The final battle had begun.
After the Megacorp's research team triple-checked the Keystone's condition, they officially activated the engine system to begin charging the artifact.
The various Megacorp legions had already assembled and taken up defensive positions at the front-line base, ready to face the coming storm.
BOOM—!
With the activation of the War Moon's engine, the planetary-class drive unleashed a massive energy beam, surging toward the Keystone. The ancient Xel'Naga artifact began to stir.
In an instant, the Keystone radiated a mysterious energy signal that spread at faster-than-light speed—blanketing the entire Koprulu Sector.
The star system that housed the Megacorp's base lit up like a flare in the night, drawing the gaze of every hidden and unknown entity lurking in the shadows.
Far off in the deep reaches of space, the Queen of Blades was leading her massive Zerg fleet, razing one planet after another in her quest to locate the Xel'Naga artifact.
Three months ago, the Zerg had picked up traces of the Keystone fragments' signal—but it had been too faint and brief to guide them for long.
The Queen had rampaged across the sector, conquering and burning worlds, igniting war wherever she passed. Countless civilizations had been reduced to ash in her hands.
Now, as she grew increasingly frustrated with the search, the charged Keystone's signal finally reached her!
"It's the Keystone. It's resurfaced—!"
The Queen of Blades was elated. Her Zerg forces had been drifting aimlessly in the void, but now the artifact's energy signature gave her a clear heading.
Without hesitation, she ordered a full advance—rushing toward the Megacorp's front-line base.
Back on the Megacorp side, the Keystone had barely reached 2% charge when a flurry of wormholes tore open in the outer stellar orbit.
The vast Zerg fleet had arrived!
The Zerg Swarm Apocalypse was upon them.
Countless Mutalisks poured from the wormholes, and the monstrous Zerg fleet took shape in the starless dark.
At its center loomed the Leviathan, the Queen of Blades' flagship—its kilometers-long tendrils writhing as it held the position of nerve center and command post.
Unlike the Megacorp's sleek steel fleets, the Zerg had no cold metal sheen, no industrial precision. Their ships were twisted, grotesque, and asymmetrical—horrific in every sense.
On the Megacorp's radar, the red dots marking Zerg bio-signatures flooded the screen until it was completely saturated—choking red blotches filled the entire holographic display.
[Warning! Zerg bio-signatures detected. Estimated: 39 trillion units… recalibrating… 41 trillion units… recalibrating again…!]
Warning signals were popping up on the holographic screen like snowflakes in a blizzard—so fast and so dense that the system's calibration couldn't even keep up. This meant that the scale of the Zerg force entering the star system had completely surpassed the detection array's capacity to calculate.
Even Jim Raynor, a veteran of countless brutal campaigns, couldn't help but mutter in disbelief:
"This is insane… the Queen of Blades really wants to wipe us all out."
Just thinking about how the woman he once loved had become such a monstrous enemy made Raynor feel a deep, aching bitterness.
"What did you expect? She's the boss bug now. There's a full-on reproductive barrier between you two. Whatever you two had? Ain't worth squat now."
Tychus, ever the blunt one, didn't bother with tact. Now that he'd finally shed his power armor with the help of the Megacorp, he was a lot more relaxed—and unfiltered.
This time, the Zerg truly had gone all in. In her desperation to seize the Xel'Naga artifact, the Queen of Blades had sent her vanguard corps headfirst into the orbital cannon barrage, willing to sacrifice countless units to carve open a path.
Faced with this sheer scale, a brutal war was unavoidable.
Seeing the incoming wave, David Martinez didn't hesitate. He issued orders immediately:
"Activate the full defense grid. Lock all orbital hard-light cannons onto the Zerg fleet. Do as much damage as possible. Slow their advance however you can!"
From this moment on, the entire star system would be engulfed in flames. The outcome of the Megacorp's unification campaign hinged on this one battle.
Thanks to three months of pre-deployment preparation, the Megacorp's forward defense network was ironclad. Massive arrays of hard-light cannon towers and fully automated AI-controlled fleets now roared to life.
[Top-Level Directive – Megacorp Central Command]
Zerg forces have arrived. Estimated strength exceeds one quadrillion units. All divisions are to follow Plan 1 to the letter.
This battle is critical to the success of the unification effort. No matter the cost—hold the line and execute the mission!
Inside the planetary-class engine of the War Moon, five fragments of the Keystone hovered in midair, bathed in swirling streams of energy pouring in from the engine core.
[Keystone Charging Progress — 3.3%. Estimated Time to Completion: 39 hours.]
Staring at the progress display, Chisaji Fox furrowed her brow. Charging the Keystone was no small task—they absolutely had to hold out.
"The Zerg vanguard is hitting us hard. Our outer orbital defenses might not hold for long."
David Martinez was rattled after reviewing the latest data feeds from the front. The Zerg assault was even fiercer than he'd anticipated.
"Then hold the damn line no matter what! If we're short on manpower, pull from the rear. If this battle's a money-burner, then we burn it all!"
Chisaji gritted her teeth. This full-scale clash between the Zerg and the Megacorp really was a battle of attrition—an arms race of raw industrial might.
The Zerg relied on their genetic advantage and insane bio-mass production. The Megacorp relied on centuries of industrial buildup and super-factories across multiple universes.
It was a war of ultimate productivity.
"Once the Keystone is fully charged through the War Moon's engine, its psionic shockwaves will expand across the entire star system. When that moment comes, even the biggest Zerg swarm will get wiped out in a single sweep."
"Until then, we play defense. We trade space for time. It's acceptable to lose some outer orbital positions—but not without a fight."
Chisaji knew that somewhere out there, the Queen of Blades was waiting too—waiting for her chance.
To the Zerg, this was also a no-holds-barred death race.
Either they crushed the Megacorp's defenses before the Keystone finished charging, or they'd be annihilated in one fell swoop.
And now, the Queen's Zerg fleet had slammed into the first defensive line. Her units were already tearing through orbital installations with terrifying speed.
But just then, hard-light cannons from other orbital platforms roared to life. Countless brilliant azure beams erupted from the dark battlefield of space.
The lead Overlords and Mutalisks were instantly caught in the searing blue light. Within seconds, the expanding hard-light bursts engulfed vast swaths of Zerg units, obliterating them on the spot.
Subjected to near-stellar temperatures and overwhelming energy shockwaves, the Zerg vanished without a trace—as if they'd never existed.
The barrage carved a gaping vacuum corridor straight through the swarm.
Billions of Mutalisks and Overlords were incinerated in a blink, reduced to ashes in a single overwhelming strike.
Thousands of Brood Lords, those massive ray-shaped airborne siege beasts, were also caught in the blast. Before they could unleash even a single volley, they were turned to dust.
Hard-light artillery and other supercharged plasma weapons tore into their internal structure, causing catastrophic chain reactions.
The ensuing shockwaves dragged nearby Zerg units into the explosions as well.
For a moment, the entire Zerg fleet was lit up by blazing azure flashes, their twisted, organic forms backlit against the ink-black void—an almost blinding spectacle of destruction.
"Don't stop! Keep firing!"
The Queen of Blades remained eerily calm, commanding her Zerg fleet with unwavering resolve. She knew from the outset that this battle would come at a staggering cost.
But if she could fulfill her master's will, then it was all worth it.
A few thousand Brood Lords? Hell, even a few hundred thousand?
She'd sacrifice them all without hesitation.
[FIRE—!]
The entire system's orbital hard-light network opened fire in unison.
Over a million blasts rained down on the Zerg like a meteor storm, slamming into their lines with apocalyptic force.
The sheer weight of the bombardment tore the swarm apart, gouging deep, glowing craters into the fleets.
Just that one barrage alone wiped out 20% of the Zerg forces.
Countless Mutalisks and Brood Lords were engulfed in flame. Blasts flashed one after another across the void, turning the darkness of space into a flickering inferno.
Not even during the assault on Aiur—the Protoss homeworld—had the Zerg faced such overwhelming defensive firepower.
And this was only the beginning.
In mere moments, the Megacorp had obliterated over ten trillion Zerg combat units.
Under normal circumstances, any fleet that suffered losses on this scale would suffer massive morale collapse—if not outright rout.
But the Zerg were different. They had no concept of morale.
They didn't need it.
They existed only to kill—and they would continue killing, regardless of casualties.
Within the hive mind, most Zerg were little more than extensions of a greater will. As long as the Queen of Blades didn't waver, the Zerg swarm wouldn't falter.
No matter how many died.
No matter the cost.
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