Chapter 385: Strategy First, Courtesy Later_1

At this moment in Jupiter Orbit, the shrill alarm echoed throughout the Third Military Fortress.

Soldiers were running to get back to their posts as quickly as possible, and Cao Yang arrived at the emergency command center, "What's the situation on Earth right now?"

The operations staff reported, "Everything is normal on Earth at the moment, but the brief firing of the Monster Cannons did not harm Venus. Therefore, front-line commander Wu Xinghai has requested artillery support."

Thirty Monster Cannons had been deployed in Jupiter Orbit.

Cao Yang immediately ordered, "All Monster Cannons, aim at Venus and commence saturation striking without delay!"

Then he commanded, "Mobilize all transport ships to evacuate the residents of Earth!"

...

On Earth, Jiang Yu in the command center was looking at the simulation provided by Galaxy II, with Venus rapidly approaching Earth, expected to collide in 83 minutes.

It was ultimately a step too late; had the "Gravity Engine" been installed on Earth by now, there would have been no fear of Venus's maneuver.

Jiang Yu did not regret initiating this war; he was certain that Venus had been ready to strike from the very moment it began its proactive rotation.

If Venus took the offensive, it could potentially turn the entire Solar System upside down.

Humanity's preemptive attack was the only possibility of breaking through this impasse.

"Fire! Pound Venus with everything we've got!" With Wu Xinghai's command, ten Monster Cannons began their saturation attack.

Almost three seconds after the firing, the operations staff reported, "The speed of Venus has noticeably decreased."

Wu Xinghai sneered, "I thought its 'head' was made of tougher stuff! Charge energy immediately, get ready for the next round of firing!"

Suddenly, the command room began to shake violently.

Galaxy II reported, "A gravitational force of unknown origin is pulling and crushing the command center, the escort fleet, and the Monster Cannon battle group!"

In the midst of speaking, two Monster Cannons crashed into each other; as they were charging energy, they had no capacity to steer clear, almost like sitting ducks.

The collision caused severe vibrations in the cannons, triggering a small-scale explosion. The soldiers, unable to shut down the reactors in time and scrambling to remove the antimatter, all personnel evacuated immediately.

The two cannons, invisible to the naked eye, continued to be compressed by gravity, turning the small-scale explosion into a large-scale one.

Fortunately, this process lasted a few minutes, and the casualties were minimal.

Without Wu Xinghai's order, the flagship commanders and artillery commanders had already ordered an emergency evasion.

In the command room, Wu Xinghai and the others could clearly hear the metal creaking and squeaking.

It was as if a giant hand was squeezing the command ship relentlessly.

Wu Xinghai said, "Try using 'Gravitational Tearing' to resist!"

The attack the fleet was undergoing was distinctly different from "Gravitational Tearing."

"Gravitational Tearing" only causes disarray in the gravitational field of an area, not the compressive force on the ships!

Indeed, "Gravitational Tearing" was useless; the warships, though at full power, were still moving closer together.

At this moment, Number Three reported, "We just received reports of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes ranging from magnitude six to nine in various parts of Earth!"

The hearts of everyone in the command center tightened again; was Venus targeting Earth?

A magnitude nine earthquake was truly horrifying; locally, it was enough to wreak total havoc.

Jiang Yu said, "Activate the emergency contingency plans."

In these three years, Jiang Yu had not just been waiting for the three legions to assemble; he had also designed many emergency contingency plans to deal with a potential fallout with Venus.

Three minutes after Jiang Yu issued the order, the weapons center in Earth's low orbit was activated again, and a powerful plasma blast hit the surface of the Pacific Ocean.

As the plasma cannonball in the state of a light pillar struck the water, it immediately disintegrated the water into hydrogen atoms, oxygen atoms, sodium chloride, and various mineral atoms or ions.

The cannonball continued downward, hitting the seabed and instantly turning the hard rock into powder.

The power of this plasma cannonball was just right, it precisely collapsed the fragile seabed, and subsequently, magma surged forth, quickly creating a huge island and several volcanic vents on the Pacific Ocean.

This location had already been determined by geological experts as a "flood discharge point," where opening a small outlet could effectively alleviate the mantle's pressure.

Indeed, after the eruption of the volcano at this site, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes elsewhere were significantly alleviated.

Things on Earth were improving, but the command ship where Jiang Yu and the others were located was still in danger, with many warships having collided and been crushed together, forcing the officers and soldiers to retreat to safety cabins.

At this point, evacuating in life pods was even more dangerous.

Wu Xinghai ordered, "All warships, maintain the repulsion field at full strength!"

The repulsion field is a defensive force field that can effectively block laser weapons and repel any nearby objects.

Wu Xinghai was prepared to let the warships lose their attack capabilities and mobility to hold out a little longer.

Just as the command ship was about to collide with two escort ships, that immense pressure suddenly disappeared.

Wu Xinghai let out a sigh of relief, "Jupiter's artillery support has arrived! The entire fleet, retreat immediately, using the nearby Moon as cover to wait for an opportunity to strike back!"

On the simulation sandbox in the command room, indeed there were thirty artillery strikes targeting Venus.

The battle staff reported, "Venus is beginning to retreat and is expected to return to its original orbit in twenty minutes."

A smile appeared on Wu Xinghai's face, "Pursue the victory! Be sure to penetrate and crush Venus!"

Jiang Yu took a few steps forward and came quietly beside Wu Xinghai, "I hope to make contact with Venus."

This time, however, Wu Xinghai shook his head, "No, now that we have become enemies, we cannot let them go."

For a moment, the staff officers held their breath; to them, Jiang Yu's words were becoming more and more sacred, and many believed that his word was an irrevocable command.

Everyone felt anxious for Commander Wu Xinghai.

Facing Wu Xinghai's insistence, Jiang Yu was not displeased but rather pleased, "I naturally understand that.

"But you are looking at the current situation from the perspective of war, while I have to consider the bigger picture."

He said seriously, "Within half a century at most, humanity will definitely begin large-scale interstellar colonization, and yet we know almost nothing about space, about interstellar matters!

"This situation is very dangerous!"

After some consideration, Wu Xinghai made a welcoming gesture to Jiang Yu.

It was then that Jiang Yu instructed the communications officer, "Send the following message to 'Enterprise': in about five minutes, Saturn's artillery will arrive as scheduled.

"At that time, the big cannon from Jupiter will have recharged its energy to fire again, and there will be alternating shots from both sides, not to mention additional artillery coming from other planets and the Kuiper Belt."

About a minute later, "Enterprise" replied: Negotiate.

Jiang Yu immediately ordered, "Change the trajectory of Saturn's artillery strike."

By then, Saturn's Monster Cannon had already been fired, and recalling it was no longer possible, but its trajectory could be changed.

Jiang Yu further ordered, "Cease firing, prepare for negotiations."

Wu Xinghai added, "All units maintain close watch on the target, ready to launch a new round of attacks at any moment!"