The two remaining main turrets on the bow of the Silver Claw, manually controlled by the fire control officer, roughly aimed at the belly of the battleship above using inertia.
Charge! Fire!
Boom! Boom!
Two thick energy beams, at extremely close range, violently pierced the relatively weak belly armor of the friendly ship above!
The explosion's flames instantly illuminated the two desperately entangled Imperial warships in the thick fog.
The energy beams directly shot through the friendly ship above.
And at the moment the Silver Claw fired.
The friendly ship at the bottom axis did not stop maneuvering toward the zenith axis.
The Silver Claw was directly blown apart by the collision of the two starships.
The shockwave from the explosion sent both starships flying.
And under the force of the shockwave, they collided with other starships.
More consecutive flashes of fire erupted.
Scenes like this were continuously playing out across this region.
At the outer edge of the Tri-color Interference Cloud, the flagships Abyssal Destroyer and Demon Prince.
The two massive Imperial flagships hovered just outside the boundary of the churning gray-blue-silver mist flow, like facing a silently roaring sea of chaos.
The occasional bursts of severely scattered and distorted firelight from within the mist flow.
And the muffled, thunder-like impact vibrations faintly transmitted through the hulls, all testified to the carnage inside.
The communications officer removed his headphones, his expression grave as he turned to Admiral Armstrong.
"Commander, all encrypted channels, emergency frequencies, even laser communication attempts have failed. The interference intensity is extremely high. We... have completely lost contact with all fleets inside the mist zone."
Almost simultaneously, the sensor supervisor's report added further trouble.
"All active detection methods. Radar, laser ranging, infrared, ultraviolet scans, gravitational wave detection. None can penetrate this interference cloud. It's like an absolute black wall; we cannot obtain any effective information from inside the mist, even energy reactions are extremely blurred. We... have completely lost perception of the mist zone."
Armstrong stood at the center of the bridge, hands clasped behind his back, his brow deeply furrowed.
His gaze fixed intently on that bizarre mist zone that had swallowed at least three of his Duke-class Fleets.
The unknown brings the deepest fear, especially this kind of absolute technological suppression. Whether the forces inside were alive or dead, engaged in combat or destroying themselves in chaos, he knew nothing.
A communication request cut in, Admiral Scott's anxious face appearing on a secondary screen.
"Armstrong! The situation is terrible! We have at least three Duke-class Fleets trapped inside, now completely silent, we can't even achieve basic situational awareness! They're probably blind in there too; their situation absolutely cannot be good!"
Scott spoke rapidly, making a suggestion.
"I propose we immediately fire high-brightness, long-duration multi-spectral flares into different locations within the mist zone to provide them with directional reference! At the same time, order all peripheral fleets to maneuver immediately and surround the entire mist zone! Form an encirclement! We absolutely cannot let the Federation rats inside slip away in the chaos!"
After listening, Armstrong shook his head slowly, almost without hesitation.
His tone was calm, almost cold.
"Admiral Scott, your idea is too optimistic!"
"First, the signal flare.
Under such intense full-spectrum interference, whether visible light signals can effectively penetrate and be seen by them is highly questionable.
More dangerously, blindly firing signal flares might be misinterpreted by our chaotic friendly forces inside as attack signals or breakout guidance.
This could trigger them to charge blindly or open fire toward the signal source at all costs.
Without visual contact, this would only increase collisions and friendly fire, causing greater casualties."
He paused before continuing his analysis.
"Second, surrounding the fog zone.
It is unnecessary and could further disperse our already weakened forces due to the redeployment of several fleets.
Although this fog is bizarre, I don't believe it can be sustained indefinitely.
Such a large-scale, high-intensity, multi-mode sensor obscuration must require astronomical energy consumption and material maintenance.
It must have a duration or a sustaining boundary.
We only need to deploy defenses at key nodes along the fog zone's edge while maintaining a mobile reserve force.
When the fog dissipates on its own or they are forced to emerge, we can then meet them with rested troops."
Finally, he turned his gaze to the towering outline of the Stargate nearby and spoke in a low voice.
"The current priority remains the Stargate.
All our decisions must revolve around this.
I even suspect that the Federation Fleet created this fog and chaos.
Their ultimate goal might be to launch a desperate surprise attack on the Stargate while our attention is diverted.
That is the loss we cannot afford."
He looked at Scott.
"Therefore, I order the main force of the outer fleet to gradually maneuver toward the Stargate, strengthening the density and response level of the direct protective ring around it.
If the Federation Fleet truly intends to fight to the death and charge toward the Stargate, we must ensure we have enough power to intercept them at the last moment.
As for this fog... monitor it for now and wait for it to dissipate."
A flicker of reluctance crossed Scott's face, but Armstrong's logic prioritizing the Stargate was irrefutable.
He finally gritted his teeth and said.
"Alright, we'll do as you say.
But I demand an increase in reconnaissance and patrol density along the fog zone's edge!
We cannot let them slip away unnoticed!"
The orders changed.
The Imperial Fleet abandoned plans for immediate rescue or surrounding the fog zone.
Instead, they began cautiously moving closer to the Stargate.
Laying down tighter defenses.
At the same time, they dispatched numerous high-speed reconnaissance craft, circling the fog zone's edge like barracudas.
Closely watching this churning sea of gray, blue, and silver that had swallowed a large number of their own fleets.
Deep within the tri-color interference cloud.
In stark contrast to the Imperial Fleet's utter chaos and fratricide.
The Pluto Direct Fleet and the Tiankui Star Fleet maintained a chilling order, steadily advancing through the churning gray-blue-silver mist.
Long before releasing the Gravitational Disturbance - Active Clutter Nanocomposite Cloud.
Qin Beiwang had already transmitted the detailed deployment map of the Imperial Fleet near Point B-380, along with the approximate positions and courses of each ship, to the tactical core of every Federation warship through his mysterious command system.
Thus, even though the external sensors were similarly affected by the interference cloud.
Yet the Federation Fleet, relying on the internally shared Phantom Map and inertial navigation, still knew their own position, the location of their allies, and...
The most likely area where the enemy existed.
Their course was clear: Danube Star.
In this environment where laser guidance failed and radar locks were blinded, weapons relying purely on kinetic energy became the optimal choice.
At the forefront of the Fleet's arrowhead formation, several heavily armored Cruisers stood like silent icebreakers.
The Railgun Arrays along their broadsides and bows continuously emitted low hums and blinding acceleration arcs.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
One after another, titanium alloy dense armor-piercing projectiles, accelerated to extreme velocities, tore through the thick fog like invisible spears of death.
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