"Commence the scan," Adam calmly ordered, his gaze fixed on Tyron II ahead of the fleet.
The results soon appeared before him.
On the planet's surface, over thirty fortress-like cities dotted the landscape, the largest of which was shrouded beneath an immense shield.
Adam shared the scan data and, before long, received Qin Mo's command.
"Commence bombardment on the capital."
"All personnel, prepare for orbital bombardment. Target: the capital," Adam commanded.
As the cruiser held command over its escort ships, the entire fleet readied for bombardment upon receiving Adam's orders.
Once preparations were complete, every weapon capable of orbital bombardment was aimed at Tyron II, locking onto the shielded capital below before unleashing fire.
Torpedo after torpedo launched from the escort ships, while the smaller particle beams located at the cruiser's core ignited the atmosphere.
Beyond the torpedo launchers and particle beams, the cruiser boasted an array of weapons for orbital bombardment—bombers, beam cannons, and artillery shells—too many for Qin Mo to bother naming.
The ship's particle beams pierced through Tyron II's atmosphere, and those on the surface witnessed giant pillars of light raining down. Yet, the beams vanished as they struck the massive shield enveloping the city.
The torpedoes, equipped with cluster warheads, split apart over the shield, scattering countless bombs in all directions, though they too were deflected.
Then came the artillery shells and beams from the other shipboard weapons—each dissipating, absorbed by the shield.
Recognizing the defensive structure, Adam quickly deduced it was a Void Shield. He realized there were two options: continue the bombardment until the Void Shield reached its limit and collapsed, or cease fire and allow ground forces to breach it from within.
However, Adam wasn't the highest-ranking officer, and the decision wasn't his to make.
Shortly thereafter, a new order came through the comms.
"Bombard the other cities."
Adam relayed the command, and the fleet shifted its focus to unshielded cities.
That task proved far easier.
The cruiser's particle beam redirected, targeting a city outside the capital's reach, and fired with full force.
A crimson beam sliced through the atmosphere, striking the city. When the light faded, a massive crater in the city center could be seen from orbit.
Cluster-tipped torpedoes followed, raining bombs over the city. Amidst the smokescreen of destruction, Adam could barely make out the faint flickers of light within the haze.
As a second beam cleared the smoke, only gaping craters remained, the city reduced to a wasteland.
Whatever troops had been stationed there were now irrelevant, obliterated along with the city itself. Decades from now, no one on Tyron II would even remember this place once existed.
"Continue attacking the other cities," Adam ordered, his tone calm and unshaken.
***
Inside the orbital dockyard, Qin Mo and the high command watched a holographic display of Tyron II.
Anruida stood before them, clutching a stack of parchment, reporting the intelligence he'd gathered. "After we secured Tyron I, I went to the archive beneath the Spire and found these documents—mostly letters and ledgers."
"The people on Tyron II have been planning a rebellion for quite some time. Those fortress-cities are remnants of that preparation, each originally an industrial city capable of manufacturing weapons."
"The industrial lines from the Hiveworld were transferred to Tyron II, but not all of them. Some were sold off by the rebel governor to fund warship purchases."
"The shield over Tyron II's capital is not just any Void Shield—it's an ancient relic discovered two thousand years ago beneath the Hiveworld by the governor's ancestors. I couldn't retrieve the full data on the artifact."
As Anruida continued his report, Qin Mo considered the possibility that the rebel governor left these records intentionally, perhaps as a form of misdirection—or perhaps simply for his own amusement.
No one could fully understand the twisted minds of traitors.
After a moment of reflection, Qin Mo issued his next order. "Deploy all ground forces and target the smaller cities. Leave the larger ones for the warships."
"I propose that we continue bombarding the capital," suggested Klein. "The Void Shield has its limits, just like any warship. If we continue, it will eventually collapse."
Some nodded in agreement, while others remained silent.
"That would take too long," Qin Mo replied, shaking his head. "The faster we take Tyron II, the better. The enemy isn't confined to this planet alone."
Destroying unshielded cities was far more efficient. Every shell fired yielded fatal results—within moments, tens of thousands of enemies would be erased from existence by orbital fire.
Meanwhile, ground forces would storm the smaller cities, accelerating the pace of the campaign.
As for the Void Shield, Qin Mo had his own plan. Rising to his feet, he announced, "I will personally lead the Guardians to destroy the ancient relic generating the Void Shield."
His decision took everyone by surprise.
For Qin Mo to personally join the battle showed just how committed he was to ensuring the swift end of the war. He wasn't talking about finishing the campaign in a year or two—he meant to win it in a matter of weeks.
Since his decision was final, the others had no choice but to follow suit.
The Guardians swiftly prepared for transport as Qin Mo joined them, standing at the ready while the Master Control Intelligence calculated the optimal coordinates for their dimensional jump.
Dimensional transport was no simple task, even for the Master Control.
It required precise calculations, so much so that during wartime, the system couldn't spare computational power for logistical operations.
"What is your target?" the Master Control queried, initiating its calculations to minimize error.
"Send us to the center of the Void Shield," Qin Mo replied.
The Master Control immediately redirected its resources to calculate the exact coordinates of the Void Shield's core.
Since the shield formed a perfect sphere, the relic at its heart was likely the key to its power.
Once it had pinpointed the location, the Master Control began to compute the precise entry point, ready to teleport Qin Mo and the Guardians directly inside the capital.