Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 230 First Battle Against Alien Races, Trial of Blood and Fire (5.3K)

Like lightning tearing through the void, the Dongfeng Fleet sped towards the coordinates of the K-77-JHD-93441 stronghold.

Lin Yi stood in front of the main control console, took a deep breath, and issued the order via the fleet's broadcast system:
"Attention all personnel, this is Lin Yi. Upon arrival at the battlefield, all Stardust-class personnel will remain in the fleet to assist in controlling the warships. Star Core-class personnel will form combat teams and deploy to engage in combat according to the pre-arranged plan."

His voice paused slightly, then he emphasized, "Vice-Commander Irelia will be stationed on the Northwind, responsible for overall monitoring and fleet command. Unless someone is facing a life-threatening crisis, even if seriously injured, she will not intervene in your battle."

Upon hearing this, a slight commotion was heard on the communication channel.

"I know this is cruel."

Lin Yi continued, "But the Star Sea Battlefield is never a safe haven. The ferocity of the alien races far exceeds your imagination."

"Today, I will have you use the blood of the Kunmo tribe to familiarize yourselves with their fighting style and hone your killing instincts, while there are still strong warriors supporting you."

"In the future, when you face challenges alone, or on larger battlefields where the strong are subject to various restrictions and cannot protect you, this experience gained through blood will be your greatest asset for survival!"

"This battle is not for glory, not for reward, but for survival! Do you all understand?"

"Understood, Commander!"

After a brief silence, a unified roar erupted in the channel.

"Very good." Lin Yi nodded, then said to Irelia, "Irelia, I'm leaving it to you. Keep things in check."

A complex emotion flickered in Irelia's icy blue eyes.

After all, she hadn't caused any casualties in the mercenary group during this time, but she could also understand Lin Yi's decision, so she nodded slightly, "Understood, leader. I will ensure the training is effective and that no member will be sacrificed needlessly."
-
at the same time.

Outside the K-77-JHD-93441 outpost in the Ash Planetary Belt.

The cold void of the universe was ignited by energy and flames.

The entire outpost resembled a lone boat tossed about in a storm, its pale blue defensive array flickering under the relentless bombardment of the dark purple biological warships, as if it were about to be completely extinguished at any moment.

Inside the base, the dilapidated central command room reeked of burnt and bloody odors.

Captain Karan of the Astral Army, dragging his injured left arm, stared intently at the flashing red alert on the tactical screen, his teeth clenched.

The defenders have suffered more than two-thirds casualties, and their energy reserves are running out. Every second feels like it's being stolen from the fingers of death.

"Captain, reinforcements! Reinforcements signal!" the monitoring communications officer shouted repeatedly. "Six mercenary groups are approaching!"

Karan suddenly looked up.

However, when his gaze swept over those familiar mercenary group insignia, his heart sank again.

Blood Wolves and Thorn Shield are teams that operate in this area. Although they are brave, their strength is limited. Facing the elite assault team of the Kunmo tribe, they would probably be outmatched.
Finally, his gaze settled on the unfamiliar mercenary group icon on the blue planet, surrounded by olive branches and stars. Looking at the mercenary group's level, it was a level 1 mercenary group.
What could a level 1 mercenary group possibly have? Wait a minute!

Karan suddenly realized something was wrong.

This is the border of the territory. Even the lowest level of escort mission is a level 2 mission. What is a level 1 mercenary group doing here?
unless
"Quickly, use deep space imaging to scan this mercenary group!"

"Yes!"

Although the monitoring operator didn't know why the captain was suddenly so agitated, he instinctively operated the system a few times, and soon, images of deep space appeared on the virtual screen.

Immediately, his eyes widened.

The screen shows a massive, dark gray warship with a deep blue crystal embedded in its bow!

Its massive hull is surrounded by sharply styled assault ships and heavy, sturdy escort ships, forming a standard and powerful attack formation.

"North wind. It's a northerly wind level?!"

Karan's voice changed instantly, and he rushed to the screen, exclaiming, "It really is a Borei-class! And a complete escort squadron! That's fantastic! That's fantastic!"

A surge of ecstasy coursed through Karan's body like an electric current.

As a junior officer in the Star Forces, he knew all too well what "Northern Wind-class" meant.

That's equipment that ordinary mercenary groups can only dream of; it's a symbol of the core military power of a star-domain-level force. Its powerful firepower and comprehensive combat capabilities are enough to play the role of a stabilizing force on local battlefields.

Furthermore, accompanying that Borei-class ship were a number of Sharp-class assault ships and Guardian-class escort ships.

The configuration of this fleet is simply too luxurious; its overall firepower is almost comparable to that of a small Astral Army cruiser fleet!

Karan grabbed the communicator and roared with all his might:

"Brothers, hold on!"

"We have reinforcements! A fleet with Borei-class destroyers! None of these damned scum will escape!"

And just as Karan had hoped.

Before long, the Dongfeng Fleet, like a steady assassin, precisely entered the battlefield under Irelia's command.

"All fleet, heed my command!"

Irelia's cool voice was clearly transmitted to the bridge of every Dongfeng warship through the encrypted channel.

"Lock onto the enemy ship. The Northwind will be responsible for frontal suppression. The Sharp-class ships will infiltrate and divide the enemy. The Guardian-class ships will construct a fire network to intercept enemy landing units and small targets!"

The order was given, and the war machine roared into action.

The central Borei-class assault ship, its five-kilometer-long dark gray hull slightly adjusted its angle, and the deep blue energy crystal embedded in its bow emitted a breathtaking light.

The immense energy flowed and converged within the complex conductive patterns, ultimately unleashing a devastating beam of light from the main cannon muzzle.

This deep blue beam of light, like the gaze of death, instantly traversed the void and precisely struck a Kunmo race main assault ship that was frantically bombarding the stronghold's shield.

The bio-ship, shaped like a twisted purple beetle, had its thick bio-armor melt away rapidly under the absolute energy crushing force, like ice and snow under the sun.

The internal energy core was detonated, triggering a chain reaction of explosions. A massive fireball expanded outwards, engulfing several small bio-vessels in the vicinity!
"Pretty!"

Chen Yu, who was in the preparation room of the landing module, saw this scene through the observation screen and excitedly punched the bulkhead.

This is just the beginning.

The five Sharp-class assault ships, like five unsheathed blades, with their engines at full power, transformed into five dark blue afterimages, cutting into the flanks of the Kunmo Clan fleet with extremely high maneuverability.

Instead of engaging the heavily armored capital ships head-on, they used their speed and firepower advantages to specifically hunt down the relatively vulnerable but numerous Kunmo escort boats and landing ships.

The dense secondary gun fire, like a metal storm, precisely tore at the hull of the landing ship.

The catapults of the unmanned attack craft were activated one after another. Like sharks that smelled blood, the unmanned craft skillfully bypassed the chaotic battlefield airspace, targeting the weak points such as the engine nozzles or observation windows of the landing ships, and quickly blasted them into pieces.

Meanwhile, the fifteen Guardian-class escort ships, like impregnable mobile fortresses, patrolled around the Northwind and the Sharp-class.

Their combined energy shields withstood stray bullets from all directions and corrosive spore cannons fired from the Kunmo bio-ships.

Meanwhile, the close-in weapon system and point defense arrays on board the ship formed an impenetrable wall of death. Any small Kunmo assault boats that tried to get close or landing craft that tried to escape the battlefield were instantly pulverized by countless beams of light and barrages.

The Dongfeng Fleet's attacks were efficient and ruthless.

In just over twenty minutes, the Kunmo tribe's assault fleet, which had initially held an overwhelming numerical advantage, suffered a devastating blow.

More than two-thirds of the bio-ships were reduced to floating wreckage, and the rest were mostly wounded and had lost their organized combat capability, soon turning into a one-sided mopping-up operation.

Soon, despair spread like a virus among the remaining Kunmo tribe.

This commando team was tasked with high-risk, elite raiding missions, relying on the stealth and assault capabilities of the biological ships.

Now that the main force of the fleet has been almost completely wiped out by the enemy's first wave of precision strikes, it means that they are now trapped like turtles in a jar.

In this vast sea of ​​stars, without a warship, it is impossible to return to the distant star system where the mother nest is located by relying solely on individual strength.

After all, even Star Swirl-class beings cannot fly back to their home planets in such energy-poor star systems using their own abilities. Therefore, the cold void of space will become their eternal graveyard.

This realization completely ignited their inherent ferocity and madness.

The Kunmo are a humanoid race that also possesses insectoid carapace-like features.

They are about 2.5 meters tall on average, with an inverted triangular head, no obvious nose or ears, only a huge mouth full of fine fangs, and three pairs of compound eyes that flash with a cruel red light. Their bodies are covered with a thick chitinous carapace with a dark purple metallic luster, which not only provides amazing physical defense, but also a certain degree of resistance to energy attacks.

Their arms end in huge bone blades like those of a mantis, or bio-cannons that can fire corrosive energy. Their lower limbs have reverse joints, giving them extremely strong jumping and assault capabilities, making them natural killing weapons.

Furthermore, they are naturally capable of mental resonance, resulting in extremely high levels of teamwork during battles.

At this moment, chaotic and violent roars echoed among the surviving Kunmo warriors.

"Whoosh!"

"For the glory of our race! Slaughter all of humanity!"

Their three pairs of compound eyes instantly turned blood red, the muscles under their carapace bulged, and they even burned their life essence in exchange for a surge of power in a short period of time.

Those Kunmo individuals who were originally trying to avoid the fleet's firepower, whether in the void or already on the ground, instantly entered a berserk state.

They abandoned all defense and evasion, launching a suicidal charge towards the nearest human target.

The green, corrosive energy beams became denser, the bone blades were swung more wildly, and some Kunmo warriors, even in their severe injuries, charged directly at the positions of the Astral Army or mercenary groups, detonating their own energy cores in an attempt to perish together with them.

The ferocity of the battlefield instantly escalated several levels.

Meanwhile, within the Dongfeng Fleet, Lin Yi's voice rang out in the assault team channel.

"Attention all ground combat personnel! The enemy fleet has been largely wiped out, and the remaining enemy forces are in a frenzy. Proceed as planned, land at the stronghold and assist the defending forces in eliminating the enemy on the ground!"

"Landing module, launch!"

Upon receiving the order, the Dongfeng soldiers, who were already prepared, pressed the button beside them without hesitation.

Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!
Dozens of specially designed landing pods were launched from the warship like a swarm of bees leaving their hive, trailing orange-red flames, and crashed down on the designated landing point on the surface of the stronghold like a meteor shower.

This is not because they are unable to fly on their own; Star Core level experts already possess the ability to fly short distances through the void.

But as Lin Yi has always emphasized, it is extremely foolish to consume one's own source energy to fly before a battle when tools are available.

This specially designed landing pod not only has a robust alloy shell and high-energy thrusters, but also provides a certain energy shield, which can preserve the physical strength and energy of combat personnel to the greatest extent, allowing them to engage in ground combat in the best possible condition.

Chen Yu, Andrei, Liu Yuan, Elizabeth, and the others were each in a different landing module. Feeling the intense vibrations and high temperatures generated by the friction between the module and the air as it passed through the damaged atmosphere of the stronghold, and the dull thuds of energy beams constantly striking the module walls, everyone's eyes were filled with unwavering determination.

"Boom!" "Boom!" "Bang!"

The landing module crashed down like a heavy bomb, its doors bursting open with hydraulic pressure, kicking up clouds of dust.

Almost the instant the hatch opened, the Kunmo warriors, whose eyes were already bloodshot, roared and pounced forward.

The bone blades whistled as they tore through the air, and green energy attacks rained down upon them.

"kill!"

Chen Yu was the first to charge out, his battle blade carrying the force to split mountains and shatter rocks, cleaving a Kunmo tribesman who was charging at the forefront, sending him flying along with his armor, his roar deafening.

Andrei followed closely behind, like a humanoid Tyrannosaurus Rex, crashing directly into the enemy ranks. With each swing of his fists, he unleashed terrifying power, smashing the head of a Kunmo warrior to pieces. He then grabbed a bone blade swung by another alien race, roared, and snapped it in two!
Liu Yuan's figure flashed out of the smoke and dust like a ghost, his long sword turning into points of cold stars, aiming with unparalleled precision at the Kunmo warriors' joints, compound eyes, and other weak points. Every strike drew blood, and his efficiency was extremely high.

Elizabeth was enveloped in a chilling aura, which instantly condensed into dozens of crystal-clear ice shields in front of her, blocking most of the incoming energy projectiles.

At the same time, with a gentle wave of her hand, countless fine yet incredibly sharp "Ice Soul Needles" seemed to come alive, bypassing allies and accurately striking the gaps and energy nodes in the Kunmo tribe's armor.

The battle entered its most brutal and intense phase from the very first second of contact.

Irelia's divine sense acted like a highly efficient early warning system, enveloping the entire battlefield.

She saw a team member being ambushed by a Kunmo tribe lurker's bone spike during a gap in their attacks. The bone spike, which was powerful enough to pierce through the opponent, seemed to hit an invisible, resilient barrier before it reached the team member's back, slowing down and allowing the team member to narrowly avoid the attack.

She saw Chen Yu get carried away with the killing and break away from the team's cover, almost being surrounded and killed by three berserk Kunmo clan members. A gentle force quietly pulled him back half a step, just in time to avoid the crisscrossing bone blades.

She was fulfilling her duty as a scout, precisely balancing life and death, allowing the team members to be tempered under extreme pressure, yet without truly falling into the abyss of death.

While the ground troops were locked in a fierce battle with the Kunmo tribe infantry who were launching a frenzied counterattack, Lin Yi was not idle either.

His figure appeared in an area on the outskirts of the stronghold where Kunmo tribe landing pods were gathered.

There are still many core-level Kunmo warriors here who have just disembarked from the landing pod or are preparing to join the battle below.

Lin Yi did not conceal his source energy fluctuations; his late-stage Star Core level was like a delicious lure, attracting bloodthirsty predators.

Facing the Kunmo tribe, who swarmed towards him as if they had smelled blood, Lin Yi's eyes remained calm and unwavering.

With a thought, nine fist-sized metal spheres, their surfaces engraved with fine, dark gold runes, silently appeared in front of him, slowly rotating around him and emitting a deep, pleasant hum.

These nine thunder orbs can be scattered to attack enemies in countless ways, or they can be combined to form a deadly attack.

Its power is comparable to that of a Star Swirl-class weapon, and it is far more energy-efficient to operate than a true Star Domain-class weapon, making it perfect for him to hone the advanced techniques recorded in "The Blade of Rules".

He didn't even move a step, focusing solely on manipulating the lightning orb while silently circulating the techniques of the "Blade of Rules," attempting to extremely compress his own understanding of the rules and carefully attach it to the lightning orb. Then...
"go.

Lin Yi gave a soft shout, and three thunder pearls shot out in response.

The runes on the surface of the first lightning orb lit up, and its speed suddenly increased, crashing directly into the chest of the Kunmo warrior as if it had teleported.

"Boom!"

A deafening thunderclap resounded as the lightning orb pierced through several Kunmo warriors. The violent lightning power penetrated their bodies, instantly annihilating their internal organs and even their core life force.

The second lightning bead released countless fine, leaping blue-purple electric snakes during its flight. These electric snakes seemed to have a life of their own, skillfully wrapping around the other Kunmo warriors.

Ignoring their sturdy shells, the electric snakes burrowed directly into their weak points, such as joint gaps and the junctions of compound eyes. Terrifying black currents surged wildly within their bodies, and these star-core level aliens were reduced to ashes before they could even utter a scream.

The third one suddenly deformed and stretched in mid-air, transforming into a crescent-shaped flying blade as thin as a cicada's wing.

The flying blade silently swept across the void at extreme speed, leaving a clear streak of light in the air.

A squad of Kunmo tribe members who were preparing to launch a suicide attack froze in their tracks, their upper bodies slowly sliding down a smooth diagonal line.

In the blink of an eye, three lightning orbs, each with a different attack mode, effortlessly reaped the lives of dozens of Star Core-level Kunmo Clan warriors.

His efficient slaughter immediately enraged the powerful members of the Kunmo clan.

"Human! You're asking for death!!"

A mental roar filled with violence and killing intent swept across the void like a tangible sound wave!
A streak of dark purple light, moving at a speed far exceeding that of ordinary Kunmo tribesmen, tore through the chaotic battlefield, carrying an overwhelming aura of ferocity, and headed straight for Lin Yi!

The newcomer was nearly five meters tall, with a deep purple-black carapace. The natural patterns on it resembled flowing magma, radiating a suffocating heat and oppressive force.

In its hand lay a bone saw blade, forged from the spine of some unknown behemoth and wreathed in intense green flames.

The energy fluctuations emanating from its body had clearly reached the mid-stage of the Star Swirl level.

Its six crimson compound eyes were fixed on Lin Yi, filled with cruelty and mockery, as if it were looking at an insect about to be crushed.

Because the difference in strength between major realms is usually like heaven and earth. For example, Lin Yi just instantly killed dozens of star core level beings, which it could easily do as well.

In its view, this person may be strong, but the source energy fluctuations at the star core level on his body cannot be faked.

To put it bluntly, he's just a human genius with a higher understanding of the rules, capable of dominating at the Star Core level.

(End of this chapter)