Chapter 301

Chapter 301

Grath was quick, and everything was in place that night. After resting overnight, they were ready to depart early the next morning.

Rows of mother ships were lined up at the docking area, along with rows of soldiers in combat suits.

This was far larger than the command battle, and the legion hadn't been cut back at all.

Norton stood in front of the mother ship, and Secretary-General Lin handed him his sword.

Norton took the sword and turned to face the soldiers. His gaze swept over each unit, finally resting on the Grath emblem on the mother ship. "It's time to raise the flag."

Grath's soldiers saluted as one.

"Glory to the Empire forever! Grath lives on!"

Then they boarded the mother ships in an orderly fashion.

Arnold, Herli, and Elia were standing behind Norton originally.

At this point, they walked past Norton to their respective flagships.

Only Ye Mo remained by Norton's side.

Secretary-General Lin followed Norton. "Your Majesty, we need to go to the temporary base first to liaise with the Star Alliance's support team."

Norton grunted in acknowledgment and then walked straight for the center mother ship.

The moment Norton moved, Ye Mo followed right behind.

...

The Star Alliance had set up the temporary base at the edge of the quarantined star region; a short distance outside was the Zerg zone. The army would depart from here to expel the Zerg.

The coordination between the main team and the support team also took place here.

The Star Alliance Chairman arrived early and waited at the docking area. After a moment, a staff member whispered to him, "The support team has arrived."

The Chairman grunted and looked into the distance; the silhouettes of mother ships were already barely visible. "This support team lineup is impressive."

The main team needed to be at the front, with the main task of eliminating the King Insect and large-sized Zerg, kicking off the counterattack. This step was the most difficult, requiring sustained, escalating firepower to open a path for others.

The others would be in the rear. Once the Zerg fell into disarray, they would join the battlefield to contain the remaining Zerg, including mopping up and clearing out.

Once the Star Alliance decided on the main team, recruiting the support team went much more smoothly. Many countries were willing to let their star players take on support roles. Of course, these star players typically brought their own mother ships and a team; the entire squad supported the player, including the squad's commander.

No one would allow their own player to be directly commanded by another country's commander. If the main commander's orders seemed off or too risky, the squad's commander would refuse before the player could even object.

Although understandable, such a team would naturally be more cumbersome to work with.

However, the Star Alliance Chairman was already quite satisfied. After all, due to the Resource Competition this time, the support team was probably the most impressive lineup.

He watched as mother ship after mother ship landed, then the hatches opened. No other soldiers came out; only a few people from each ship descended to greet the Chairman.

Most of them were well-known players.

On the Starnet, people had already started discussing.

"Man, this is insane. I've only seen a lineup like this in games, and it had to be a rich player's account. Ordinary people can't gather such a team. I was saying, with the Resource Competition going on, how could they let the Zerg corner them? The Central Star is probably the safest place now."

"But that still required negotiation. To round up this many people, the Star Alliance must have worked hard."

"Leisa actually came? Kainan let him go?"

"Support missions are okay; the pressure isn't too high. If things go south, they can pull out. Whether willing or not, I think most sent their own star players."

"That's not necessarily true. Support teams can still run into bad luck with tough opponents or problematic main teams."

"Buston's Orka and others are also here. They're probably the main team. Let's see how they perform."

When they saw Buston was there, the others exchanged knowing glances. Leisa also glanced at Buston, then looked away and waited for orders.

When the last mother ship landed, the Chairman spoke first. "Thank you all for coming."

He looked around. "We will launch the recapture battle today. The support team will be directly commanded by the Star Alliance center. By now, everyone should already know this and have been connected to the system. We'll issue each command with care and be accountable to you, so please trust us with confidence."

"The main team will handle their own deployments. It seems they have arrived."

No reminder was needed; the Chairman could already see the silhouettes of mother ships in the distance.

When the first mother ship landed, Leisa's eyes widened. He heard the gasps of his teammates beside him.

Then more mother ships landed.

"Is this Grath? Is the Star Alliance crazy?"

"What's wrong with Grath? Grath even blew up Orka."

"When the command battle was interrupted, they hadn't scored a single point, right? If it had continued, they probably would have ended with zero. I have no problem with Grath sending people for support, but as the main team, can they handle it?"

"Besides, every country, regardless of strength, starts from the support team, right? Without proven results, how can anyone trust them? Not to mention, if your place applied to the Star Alliance for aid and they sent Grath, would you be happy? If you're happy, I have nothing more to say. Good luck getting Grath as your support for your next aid request."

"How can they not handle it? When the Zerg invaded back then, only Grath didn't retreat. If Grath has the strength, why can't I apply for Grath's aid?"

"Don't speak too soon, or they might get forced back. I admit they're good in squad battles, but their overall equipment is outdated, and they haven't done anything special in command battles."

"Haven't you noticed that Grath has already replaced small warships with mother ships?"

On the other side.

Grath's mother ships began to land, but only one landed; the others stayed in a holding pattern.

The hatch of the landed mother ship opened, revealing Norton's figure. A squad of soldiers filed out and lined up on both sides of the ramp.

Only then did Norton descend, with Ye Mo and Secretary-General Lin behind him.

Zener, beside Leisa, couldn't help but lean forward and whispered excitedly, "Ye Mo is here too..."

His companion pulled him back. "Cool it."

Leisa also glanced at him, and then Zener obediently returned to his position.

The Star Alliance Chairman walked toward Norton under the gaze of many, extending his hand.

Norton paused for a moment, but still extended his hand in return.

Secretary-General Lin breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

The Star Alliance Chairman's expression was very solemn. "We're entrusting that star region to you."

Norton withdrew his hand and grunted in response.

Secretary-General Lin stepped forward and picked up the conversation, "Can we head out? Grath is ready at any time."

The Star Alliance Chairman paused briefly, then immediately replied, "If you're ready, of course you may. The Star Alliance will assist you alongside the support teams."

"Tsk, Grath is itching for a fight. They haven't even been here a minute and they already want to start. The other mother ships didn't land so they could begin faster, I guess. Look, even the Chairman was caught off guard. And why did their emperor come directly? This is the first time I've seen a leader personally go to the front lines."

"There have been cases, but only when they were cornered, and even then they stayed in the rear. I guess they're the same."

"Why are you only surprised now? The Grath heir has already participated in the resource war twice. From that, I conclude that whether or not their emperor comes, he can definitely fight."

"I don't care about anything else. You can argue all you want, but I have to say it again: their emperor is really good-looking!"

"I think so too. The little prince is also good-looking, and their features are similar. The other senior Graths are also easy on the eyes. Is the Grath family full of good-looking people?"

Meanwhile, Norton didn't waste any time. He turned and headed straight back.

The mother ship lifted off again.

The Star Alliance Chairman looked at the others. "Please begin your preparations as soon as possible and wait for orders from Central Command."

……

Ye Mo and Norton were in the command center.

Norton sat in a seat specially set for him, just like before on the warship.

Ye Mo leaned over the back of his chair, popping his head out to look at Norton. "Father, when you came to the battlefield before, was it always like this? Now we're using a mother ship—will it be different?"

Ye Mo was clearly excited. He had always wanted to be like Arnold, standing shoulder to shoulder with Norton on the same front line, slaying the Zerg, and sharing the burdens of Grath together.

Ye Mo lowered his voice a little and ventured, "Can I help?"

Norton tilted his head and reached out a hand. Ye Mo automatically moved to Norton's right, placing one hand on the armrest and one knee on the ground.

Norton easily touched his hair, then absently stroked the back of Ye Mo's neck.

Ye Mo calmed down, leaning on the armrest and looking at Norton.

Norton said. "It's a bit different."

Ye Mo realized that Norton was answering his earlier question.

Norton continued, "A fleet of warships is spread out and very agile. You can use mental power to control them, using them as places to land and gain leverage. But you also need to pay attention to the safety of each ship and protect the fleet."

"A mother ship is different. It's not flexible and can't offer a steady stream of landing points."

Norton paused, then continued, "But it's here and stays put. It doesn't need protection, and it's not fragile. You can fight the Zerg without worrying."

Ye Mo blinked. "That sounds nice. Baide said before that he would teach me how to protect my own fleet."

Now it looked like he didn't have to learn that after all, but everyone should be safer. Ye Mo thought back to the warship that had crashed.

Norton didn't speak. He simply used his mental power to lead Ye Mo's mental power.

Ye Mo was already accustomed to entrusting his mental power to Norton.

Norton led Ye Mo's mental power through the mother ship's command center, then over the entire mother ship, and finally linked his mental power to the other mother ships, letting him feel how each Grath legion operated and how to control and command them.

On the other side, the other Graths also immediately sensed this subtle change.

Baide, who was lying on the sofa, sat up. After a few seconds, he lay back down. "The little lion is at the age to learn hunting, huh."

Arnold, on the other hand, was tugging at his adjutant. "I feel it's not yet time. Is big brother being a bit too hasty? Can Cyril's mental power handle it?"

The adjutant, unfazed, said calmly, "Your Highness, with all due respect, I do not know what you are talking about. But Prince Cyril's mental power is very strong. You can rest assured."

Herli, Deenlie, and Adrian all had the same reaction. "Not bad at all."

Elia was relieved but also a bit regretful. "If only I were there."

She could have taken a picture to remember it. Big brother definitely wouldn't think of that.

After the initial surprise, Jacob sympathized with Ye Mo. Such a young age and already starting to work. "No choice, Cyril. I don't dare to oppose big brother either."