Chapter 114: The Assault of the Ormei Empire

On the way back, Feng Yucai unexpectedly said to Zhang Desen, "Young Master Zhang, congratulations on this battle. You have not only achieved a peerless merit for the Great Xing Nation but also established the Zhang and Liu families as powerful clans capable of standing against those formidable noble houses. It is truly a joyous and celebratory occasion!"

Zhang Desen was somewhat bewildered but replied, "Regardless, General Feng, your successful capture of Wangu is the true accomplishment here!"

Afterward, General Feng Yucai offered a few more compliments to Zhang Desen and expressed that if those powerful noble families were to cause trouble, he would be willing to stand by his side. Although Zhang Desen still did not quite understand the meaning behind these words, he expressed his gratitude and returned with the joint guard team of the Zhang and Liu estates. Feng Yucai then departed with Wangu to report the specific details of the battle.

Time quickly turned to night in the Uliastai region. The bunkers, which had been urgently constructed everywhere, were in a state of combat readiness, prepared at any moment to defend against an invasion by the Olme Empire.

However, while the major bunkers were on high alert, three combat vehicles were occupied with different matters. These were the levitation tank that had malfunctioned during the previous exercise, along with another tank and an anti-aircraft infantry fighting vehicle that had stayed behind to assist with repairs and troubleshooting.

The crews had been busy all day, yet the anti-gravity device of the malfunctioning tank showed no signs of being repaired. At this moment, the anti-gravity device was being tested again to see if it could return to operation. The commander of Tank No. 2 ordered, "Test it."

"Yes!" The driver of Tank No. 1 immediately started the anti-gravity device, but no matter how much they increased the power, the entire tank could not float, let alone move. Seeing this, the Saurians shook their heads in extreme disappointment.

What they did not know was that at the same time, Gase Ouli, commander of the Olme Empire's vanguard, was leading a force of 10,000 soldiers aboard the space destroyers *Invincible* and *Ku*, quietly closing in on the Uliastai region.

Inside the *Invincible*, Gase Ouli contacted Dadu Ku'er, the supreme commander of this operation, via communicator: "We are about to reach the Uliastai region, formerly belonging to the human Liaogu Kingdom, but we have detected that Goba Xiaofu's troops are already there defending it."

Dadu Ku'er replied from the other side, "No matter how much strategic depth the enemy has prepared, they are merely a rabble. Those who do not surrender are to be firmly annihilated. I will set up a temporary command post in Bulunai and await your good news. I hope to move the headquarters to Uliastai or even Qijiaojing as soon as possible. Do you understand?"

Gase Ouli immediately answered, "Yes!"

After ending the transmission, Gase Ouli ordered his troops to transfer to space landing ships, preparing to land, attack, and seize the Uliastai region to establish the required command post.

Just as the repair crews of the Saurian Galaxy Empire were still busy fixing the tank, massive volleys of fire suddenly erupted from the northern horizon. The thunderous sounds of explosions rang out one after another, shaking the garrison in the surrounding bunkers, who immediately began to return fire toward the source.

Seeing this, the Saurians repairing the tanks realized the situation. The commanders shouted in unison, "There is a situation! Everyone, get into your tanks immediately."

"Yes!!!" The Saurian soldiers obeyed, quickly entering their vehicles and opening fire on the enemy.

Following the massive barrage, the Olme Empire's troops landed. Although fighting inland, the space landing ships were more agile than maritime landing craft and possessed ferocious firepower. Under the cover of this overwhelming force, the Olme Empire's army launched a fierce assault on the Galaxy Empire's defensive bunkers.

Because the Galaxy Empire's weaponry, particularly air defense, was insufficient, the primary anti-aircraft defense relied on handheld laser anti-aircraft cannons held by the infantry, with the exception of the remaining anti-aircraft infantry fighting vehicle. Thus, that single vehicle became the core of their air defense.

The damaged tank, which only suffered from a faulty anti-gravity device, had all other functions working normally. It joined the other firepower in firing fiercely at the rolling tide of the invading Olme Empire's troops.

Although the Galaxy Empire only had about 7,000 troops in the Uliastai region due to the wide depth of the front line, the reasonable configuration of their firepower and crossfire made it difficult for Gase Ouli's Olme Empire troops to achieve a breakthrough.

Meanwhile, in the command headquarters of the Galaxy Empire's first line of defense, Commander-in-Chief Jilong Kongde heard the sounds of battle and called his adjutant, Li Ge'er. The call was quickly connected. Jilong Kongde asked, "Ge'er, I hear massive explosions. Has the enemy begun their attack?"

Li Ge'er replied, "There is no mistake. I am in the remote observation room. As soon as I heard the explosions, I observed the Uliastai region and found two Olme Empire space destroyers conducting aerial attacks, and the enemy's ground troops have already landed."

Jilong Kongde asked, "What is the status of the participating units? Are they all in position?"

Li Ge'er answered, "Everyone is well-trained and took their positions the moment the incident occurred."

Jilong Kongde then said, "Good. Immediately summon all reserve officers to the headquarters for an emergency combat meeting."

"Yes!" After Li Ge'er finished, he began to summon the reserve officers according to Jilong Kongde's orders. In the Uliastai region, the intense battle raged on.

...

At this time, in the Western Capital, Zhang Desen was meeting with Li Longfang and other special operations team leaders at the base. Li Longfang began, "Captain, our industrial park has successfully replicated the 'Hanyang' and 'Old Tube' weapons you mentioned earlier. It is estimated that soon we will be able to replicate Krupp artillery as well. This means we will soon no longer need to worry about how much stock is left from the super-ancient humans; we can be completely self-sufficient."

Zhao Chengming added, "This battle has demonstrated the immense power of these items. Even those among us who were originally skeptical of this equipment no longer hesitate and are working with great enthusiasm. I believe we will soon possess even more powerful weapons."

Zhao Chengming and Zhou Yongli echoed his sentiments. Zhang Desen then said, "This is indeed good news. As long as we work together, there is nothing we cannot achieve. However, since our people have only recently obtained this information, it will take time to become fully proficient and develop new weapons on our own, so we must race against time. Also, do not forget that besides the super-ancient Saurians, the Atlanteans and the Gomars are also threats to us."

Zhang Desen's tone turned worried as he continued, "Their technological levels are not weak; they are likely approaching a Type II civilization. Yuri Gotei previously mentioned that they were preparing to build a Dyson sphere. Therefore, we must at least master atomic bomb and electromagnetic pulse technologies to barely stand against them. Right now, we remain very passive, relying on the inventory left behind by the super-ancient humans to find corresponding countermeasures."

Zhao Chengming agreed, "Yes, the Captain is right. We have been following your instructions to study all the knowledge left by the super-ancient humans. I must say, it is truly shocking. There are many things we cannot master yet. The weapons smiths who once thought they were very capable no longer think so; they are all working desperately while learning, striving to reach or even surpass the super-ancient humans as soon as possible."

Zhang Desen said excitedly, "Good, excellent. Once the timing is ripe, humanity must launch a counterattack."

Suddenly, Zhang Desen changed the subject and asked, "Everyone, are you interested in a trip to Bulunai?"

The group was taken aback. Zhou Yongli asked, "Is there a problem there? Or is the Captain planning to destroy the Saurian Olme Empire's grassland base?"

Zhang Desen shook his head, "No, the timing to attack the grassland base is not right yet. We lack the strength, and we must wait for the enemies to restrain one another..."

Li Longfang asked, "Then what does the Captain intend?"

Zhang Desen opened the base's computer and said, "Take a look, everyone..."

Li Longfang and the others looked, then said in unison, "Dadu Ku'er?"

Zhang Desen replied, "Yes, you should all remember that we had a close encounter with this Dadu Ku'er when we attacked the Saurian mountain base. Although he was blindfolded at the time, and they might be preoccupied with internal strife or other reasons, this Dadu Ku'er is now a serious threat to us and must be eliminated. According to current intelligence, his frontline command post is in Bulunai."

Li Longfang understood, "So, the Captain hopes to seize this opportunity to take out Dadu Ku'er and remove the future threat."

Zhang Desen said, "That is one reason. Another is that we can escalate the Saurians' internal conflict, allowing us enough time for development. It would be even better if we could destroy some of their spaceships and fighter jets in the process."

Zhao Chengming said, "That sounds good, but is there enough time?"

Zhang Desen replied, "Have you forgotten? We can take the spacecraft left behind by the super-ancient humans."

The three men remembered and immediately agreed. Then, they began preparations for their departure that night.