127 Expedition Arc 12 Re-Invasion 3

Having a bit of a health issue, so update times are unpredictable.

Sorry about that.

One light-year from the 8B system, I was where the enemy would next dimensionally jump (warp) to.

From there, using the Dimensional Radar, I observed the enemy fleet one light-year ahead.

Not using optical observation—because the light I'm seeing now is from a year ago and useless.

The Dimensional Radar has two functions: detecting enemy fleets during dimensional jumps (warps), and detecting enemy fleets beyond spacetime.

They seem similar but are different functions—both rely on the same underlying technology of higher-dimensional transition.

Using that Dimensional Radar, I tracked the enemy fleet one light-year ahead.

The enemy fleet was immobilized by my graviton barrage.

Enemy count: twenty capital-class vessels. One of those has been eliminated. Four capital-class ships appear to have failed jump drives—stuck in place.

They’re launching smaller craft from the immobilized capital ships, trying to tow them somehow.

Whether or not the damaged capital ships are being repaired isn’t clear from the Dimensional Radar.

Not sure if mechanical lifeforms even understand the concept of concentrated force, but if they’re busy fixing things, that’s exactly what I want.

If they move, the Dimensional Radar can trace their jump trajectory.

Plus, their jump takes eight hours to complete—gives me time.

I used the sixteen hours it takes them to charge for their next jump to sleep and rest.

But even past those sixteen hours, the enemy hadn’t jumped yet.

My first attack seems to have delayed their invasion.

Problem is, I’ve gotta keep watching—wondering when they’ll move.

They’ve learned, so they’ll probably have countermeasures against mass bombs.

Which means their warp point prediction—based on mechanical precision—will go off.

The enemy’s predicted warp time is already off.

No idea what’s coming.

I wake up. They moved while I was asleep.

They jumped, leaving behind a damaged flagship-class vessel and its escort ships.

According to the Dimensional Radar’s warp trace, the flagship-class 15 split into separate targets before warping.

They must’ve figured out our predicted warp-out point and prepared for it.

But I’ve got eight hours’ grace—plus instantaneous teleportation-level warp capability.

Time to teach them a lesson about分散ing their forces.

Enemy warps out—suddenly.

Only four hours have passed. So they’ve moved just 0.5 light-years.

Four flagship-class vessels. They released their carriers, then warped again.

In the opposite direction from their original course.

Got it. They’re using the damaged flagship-class vessels as piston shuttles.

0.5 light-years forward, 0.5 light-years back—takes one day. 1 light-year forward—takes one day. 0.5 light-years back, 0.5 light-years forward—another day.

So moving two carrier vessels one light-year takes three days.

It’s the same whether you go one light-year forward, one back, then one forward again—so why the hell was it half a light-year? Still don’t get it.

Maybe they were worried about an ambush one light-year ahead?

But with this method, fifteen capital ships and seven hundred fifty thousand carriers will arrive at the 8B system in five days.

Then another two hundred thousand reinforcements the next day.

Only five days left until the Emperor’s main fleet arrives. As long as the enemy doesn’t know the defense force at 8B is completely exposed, they’ll be blind to the timing.

If they knew, they’d have prioritized getting the seven hundred fifty thousand there in two days—sacrificing the two hundred thousand reinforcements.

They chose concentration of force over speed.

Otherwise, they’d have kept pushing yesterday with fifteen intact capital ships.

So the mass bomb attack clearly made the enemy cautious—slowed their advance.

The Emperor’s main fleet should make it in time for the battle.

But I’m not just gonna sit here and twiddle my thumbs.

If they’re spread out, we can hit ‘em with what we’ve got.

I’m tracking their warp jumps with the Dimensional Radar.

Going for the moment they jump out—enemy flagship-class warp emergence.

No carrier ships in the field? That’s a one-on-one fight. No way I lose.

Time to unload the antimatter particle cannon without hesitation.

They probably don’t expect us to warp right along with their jump.

Dimensional Radar. Warp Accelerator. All different systems.

The Dimensional Radar picks up the telltale sign—flagship-class warp emergence.

I warp my Personal Ship to that spot.

Warp out from directly below the enemy’s attack vector—perfect overwatch position.

Always straight above? Too predictable for the enemy.

I arm the antimatter particle cannon and wait for the enemy flagship-class to emerge.

Enemy flagship-class warps out via dimensional jump.

Dead center in the crosshairs. I pull the trigger—enemy flagship-class explodes into fragments.

I prepare to warp to the next enemy flagship-class emergence point—then realize I can't warp anymore.

Right. I just used up a ton of antimatter from the annihilation reactor, which powers the dimensional jumps.

Consecutive use of antimatter cannon and dimensional jump? Impossible. Remember that rule. Stick it in your skull.

Still, less than ten minutes later, I can warp again.

Must be the second annihilation reactor in the Dimensional Storage Vault.

But the other enemy capital ships had already performed dimensional jump—warp out.

The enemy capital ships that had warped out had deployed their搭载 vessels to scout the surrounding area.

Given the cooldown had been exposed, diving in solo at that point was too risky.

After that, I took out one of the piston-transported enemy capital ships with the antimatter particle cannon, ended the delaying engagement, and returned to the 8B system.

The enemy should be launching a full-scale assault on the 8B system with 650,000 combat units from capital ship #13, coordinated in timing.

Reinforcements arriving one day late would be 150,000. The remaining 50,000 wouldn’t reach us before two days.

The Emperor’s main fleet numbers 1.2 million ships. We’re not losing.

“Is my job done here, then?”

Twenty points gained in a day—now up to six thousand four hundred!

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Reviews, bookmarks—keep me going.