Starting with God's perspective, how to lose an interstellar war?

Just when she thought she was about to face a thunderous all-out attack from the enemy, the two Pluto fleet groups that had been tearing at her flanks like hungry wolves suddenly began to withdraw their offensive.

They did not continue to cut deeper, nor did they attempt to encircle the central array.

Conversely, the starships tasked with suppression began to retreat in stages, disengaging from close contact with the Iron Curtain fleet.

The Shadowmoon-class destroyer group, which had just completed a bloody assault, turned around decisively and accelerated towards the main force on Pluto to rendezvous.

The two flanking groups quickly converged and merged back into a single, complete fleet formation.

Then, this enemy, which had just dealt a heavy blow to the Iron Curtain, suddenly sped off into the depths of the Savannah system without hesitation, showing no intention of lingering in battle, leaving behind only the wreckage of Imperial ships and lingering energy radiation.

This abrupt turn of events left the Iron Curtain Fleet, which had just barely managed to regain its footing after being hit hard, feeling bewildered and confused.

"They... withdrew?"

An aide whispered incredulously.

Isabella's adjutant, a young lieutenant colonel, watched the blue cursor disappear into the distance on the screen, a look of relief at surviving a close call on his face, and a certain urge to save face.

He stepped forward and offered his suggestion.

"Commander, the enemy has suddenly withdrawn, and there may be a weakness in their formation during the transition!"

Moreover, their inability to breach our central defense line after a prolonged siege may have been deterred by our army's tenacious defense, and their morale may have been dampened!

Should we... send a fast fleet to pursue and intercept them?

"Disrupt their retreat!"

"Shut up!"

Isabella turned her head sharply, her icy blue eyes burning with suppressed anger and cold sarcasm, her voice trembling slightly as she tried to control herself.

"Intimidated by our defenses?"

Are your eyes just decorations?!

She pointed to the shocking battle damage statistics on the main screen and the area on the right wing where the wreckage was still burning and exploding.

"Look outside!"

Let's see what's left of the fortified cities and fleets!

The enemy launched a desperate attack with dozens of high-speed destroyers, which wiped out the main force of nearly two of our sub-class fleets!

The Steel Plate was pierced through by a single shot, and the Mammoth and the Grey Wolf were completely destroyed!

Is this what they call being intimidated by our defenses?

Is this what you call a blow to morale?

The adjutant turned pale from the reprimand and fell silent.

Isabella took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

Their gaze returned to the direction where the Pluto fleet had disappeared, filled with deep doubt and vigilance.

"They weren't driven back; they left voluntarily."

Her voice was low.

"When we have a clear advantage and may even have the opportunity to further expand our gains."

Suddenly stopping, it sped towards the interior of the galaxy...

This worries me more than their continued attack.

She didn't believe Qin Beiwang would make such a basic mistake as "knowing when to quit while he's ahead," especially after paying the price to break through the Iron Curtain defenses.

This unusual evacuation must have a bigger scheme behind it.

"Order the entire army to maintain the highest level of alert, reorganize their formation, rescue the wounded, and recover any ships that are still operational."

Isabella finally gave the order, her tone grave.

"At the same time, all available reconnaissance ships were dispatched to follow them at a distance."

I need to keep my distance so I know where they went and what they're up to.

In addition, immediately send the battle situation and our assessment in encrypted form to Zane Barrett and Lancaster.

Remind them that this adversary in the Savannah system is far more dangerous and cunning than any of us realize.

She gazed at the deep, dark starry sky, where the terrifying fleet had just been swallowed up.

An uneasy premonition, like cold vines, coiled around her heart.

What bigger goal is Qin Beiwang heading towards after abandoning his prey?

Zane Barrett led the three belated Bloodblade main fleets into the defensive perimeter of Langawi.

The sight before him caused the notoriously ruthless imperial general to freeze instantly in front of the observation window on the bridge.

The once bustling and orderly outer ring orbital defense platform is now nothing but a broken and twisted metal skeleton, like the remains of a giant beast, silently floating in the void.

The massive dock gates were twisted and deformed, with strange shapes remaining on their edges after melting and solidification.

The port berth area was even more appalling, with the wreckage of starships of all sizes piled up and interlocked together.

Some are still burning eerily, releasing their last rays of light and heat, giving the drifting refrigerant ice crystals an eerie hue.

The familiar sharp angles and paint schemes of the Imperial warships have now been transformed into broken, charred, lifeless junk, mixed together and indistinguishable.

"This...this is...!"

Barrett slammed his thick arm down on the alloy control panel in front of him with a dull thud.

The scars on his face were congested with blood from extreme anger, turning a dark red and twisting grotesquely.

"Qin—Bei—Wang—!!!"

He practically roared the name, his voice echoing across the bridge and making several officers' eardrums tingle.

He ripped open the top button of his collar, as if the military uniform was suffocating him.

"I'm going to kill you!"

We're going to dismantle your shabby fleet ship by ship, piece by piece!

I want to take you...

Vicious curses burst forth from between his teeth like a machine gun, mixed with all sorts of offensive slang and threats.

He paced back and forth on the bridge like a trapped beast, utterly enraged but unable to find an opponent.

His fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and his eyes swept fiercely over every gruesome scene on the screen.

Just then, the communications officer nervously handed over an urgent battle report that had just been decrypted and received.

From Isabella Marlowe.

Barrett grabbed it roughly, his gaze sweeping over the cold words:

"...they were ambushed by the main force of the Pluto fleet at the edge of the galaxy...the Mammoth and Dire Wolf fleets suffered heavy losses."

Flagship Mammoth and Gray Wolf confirmed to have sunk in battle...

The enemy's tactical coordination is extremely efficient, possessing T5-class strategic firepower (Kunlunshan-modified) and special high-speed destroyers (Shadowmoon-class)...

Every word was like a red-hot knife, stabbing into Barrett's heart.

"puff--!"

Overwhelmed by extreme rage, Barrett felt a sweet taste in his throat and actually spat out a small mouthful of blood, which splattered onto the battle report display screen and the back of his hand.

The bridge fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone looked at their commander in horror.

"Four...four fleets..."

Barrett's voice became hoarse and trembling. He raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes became even more terrifying.

"Laozi's giant elephants, dire wolves... and here, 'owls,' 'fierce birds'... four fleets! A full four!"

The Blood Blade Fleet, at full strength, consists of no more than six sub-fleets, plus his personally commanded fleet.

Now, more than two-thirds of our core personnel have been lost in one fell swoop!

This is not just a numerical loss, but also the elite force that Zane Barrett has accumulated over many years of dominating the border, the foundation of his fearsome reputation, and the source of his arrogance!