The situation in the Solar System was bad. Previously, the three planets would be fighting with each other if faced with such a situation. This time, however, the military reform was strictly implemented. They were very clear of the situation they were in now. The Solar System was not what it was before. It had taken many years, but at least it wasn't too late.
The fleet from Mars was deployed to attack the Darkness Empire. Drachmach knew that the tactic had fallen through and that there was no need to continue the fight. They had to retreat and minimize their losses.
Was it that easy to retreat though? What kind of price would they have to pay for it?
Intel reports came in just when Allen Porter was about to launch an aggressive attack. Their logistics fleet was blocked. A fleet was attacking the Norton Star simultaneously.
The Norton Star had provided all the resources for the expedition this time. If the Norton Star were blocked, the whole expedition would be cut off. The Solar System would only need to lay siege on them.
The Solar System Federation was not defenseless like Tita. They were extremely familiar with their star field. No matter how backward it was, the field still belonged to the Solar System Federation.
That was Drachmach's trump card. A one-time use surprise attack. The ones leading the fleet were Achilles, Lie Xin, and Meng Tian. A light fleet with elite space warriors with the mission to cut off the logistics. The goal had been achieved, but Meng Tian suddenly came up with a new move.
There was a tactic called bluff on Earth!
After cutting off the backup, they attacked the Norton Star, posing as the vanguard. The enemy would definitely panic because they wouldn't dare to take a chance on this. Their expedition would be as good as gone once the logistics base that was the Norton Star was destroyed.
Cutting off a bit of the logistics would only pose a little problem to the enemy and wouldn't have much effect on the entire war. However, the effect would be totally different if they deployed the empty city tactic.
Of course, that meant Meng Tian and the rest were taking on huge risks, but the benefits would be great if they could pull it off. No matter whether the enemy believed in them or not, that would cause some psychological pressure on the enemy's commander. Once there was such fear, errors in their execution and judgment on the battlefield would definitely appear. It was the most basic of all psychology.
Facts proved that Meng Tian was right. Achilles and the team successfully destroyed the spaceport of the Norton Star. This had showcased the combat abilities of the elites, enough to scare the Norton Star.
Allen Porter couldn't pursue it. He knew very well that he could severely destroy their forces, but the problem was that it wasn't annihilation. If the Norton Star were to fail, they would fall into an endless deadlock. That was the taboo of the expeditionary fleet, especially under the unstable international situation.
Allen Porter also had to maintain the strength of his fleet. Their cooperation with the Darkness Empire was a dance with the wolves. They had to maintain their strength lest they turn their attention to them if they knew their strength was reduced.
Allen Porter eventually ordered a part of his fleet to attack with the Darkness Empire. The main fleet assisted the Norton Star to secure their rear supply line.
His gut feeling told him that the Solar System couldn't possibly have a huge fleet at the Norton Star. The Norton Star's distress message was that the combat power of the team from the Solar System was amazingly good. Could the other party be playing the same bluff game as them?
Deliberately getting him to pursue with all his might and then take the Norton Star swiftly?
The retreat wouldn't be easy once they started their pursuit.
Allen Porter turned the situation around his head numerous times before finally making a decision. He didn't need to stake everything for it. The Solar System wasn't their match. The Darkness Empire was now exposed and would need to continue their alliance all the way. Ditching each other halfway through was no good for anyone.
They could only gain when they let go. This Drachmach did have anything in him. He had to give it to him even though he wasn't willing.
The Solar System finally managed to save themselves from annihilation, but this didn't make Drachmach happy. The Solar System would've been in real trouble if Meng Tian and her team weren't amazing.
How was the Solar System going to defend against the next attack? The enemy would definitely strengthen the defense of the Norton Star. The enemy would attack once they obtained a clear picture of the situation. Meng Tian and her team could only pull this off once.
He wouldn't have taken the risk if he was Allen Porter either. He was now worried about the ever increasing troops from the Darkness Empire.
There was no reason for them to not continue this war halfway through.
Both parties were now treating the wounded and regrouping their troops, leaving a huge wreckage in space. This space junk would add a lot of trouble after the war, but that was no concern now.
The commander of the alliance was Iyerta Laboge. His expression was really sour. "General Allen Porter, did you just give up a huge victory for something so small?"
It turned out that the ones who had attacked the Norton Star and its logistics were the elite core fleet of the Solar System. There were even some super warriors amongst them. That only went to show how weak the Solar System was.
"General Laboge, please be calm. The fleet that invaded the Norton Star might not be big, but their combat power was terrifying. It's just a matter of time for us to take down the Solar System. There is no need to take any undue risks. Moreover, the Heaven-rank warrior of our enemy has yet to appear. They still have something up their sleeves. It is good to strike while the iron is hot, but it could also easily cost us to incur a huge loss," Allen Porter said with a smile, avoiding any conflict. It was the Darkness Empire's nature. There was no need to force their point through in this collaboration.
"General Laboge, General Allen Porter has a point. A few young super warriors in this small fleet were participants of the Greatest King competition. They cannot be underestimated. It's better to err on the safe side. What I mean is, would it be possible for the Darkness Empire to send a Heaven-rank warrior? We'll have more confidence then," the Commander of Norton Star, Sheridan Oran said.
"Greatest King? You mean Wang Zheng?" Laboge doubled back.
Sheridan Oran and Allen Porter exchanged glances, knowing that Laboge was wavering. Wang Zheng would spell huge trouble for them. All their tactics might need to be adjusted for him.
"Ahem, it's not Wang Zheng. Wang Zheng is now in the Titatitan Star. He has just completed a huge battle with the army of the Sirius Star. We don't have any other news about him at the moment. It probably isn't him since the current transport routes are blocked — unless he were to fly here himself," Sheridan Oran replied.
Iyerta Laboge's expression relaxed visibly. Anyone with ambition was very precise and sensitive to intel.