Every second of delay allowed Wells' direct fleet to gain another 170,000 kilometers of distance.
Every ship lost forced the Federation Fleet to spend at least thirty seconds adjusting firepower and reacquiring targets.
By the fifth minute, only three ships remained combat-capable in the Dragon Lizard Fleet.
One Raider-class vessel was already riddled with holes, its main cannons completely silent, yet it continued firing with its remaining point defense cannons.
In the sixth minute, the second-to-last destroyer was vaporized into metallic gas by concentrated fire from six Shadow Moon-class ships while attempting to ram the Thunder.
In the seventh minute, the final Raider-class ship chose to detonate its reactor after its shields completely overloaded.
The explosion briefly illuminated the entire battlefield like a desolate funeral firework.
Nine starships—all destroyed.
"Shall we pursue?" Li Zhen inquired through the comm channel.
Qin Bei Wang watched the cluster of red dots receding on the holographic star chart and remained silent for two seconds.
"No," he finally said. "Don't pursue a desperate enemy. And..."
He left his sentence unfinished.
Because at that moment, the sensor array detected three new signals rapidly approaching from behind the battlefield.
Azimuth: 355.
Elevation: +2.
Distance: Eight million kilometers.
Quantity: Three vessels.
Energy signature: One battleship-class, two cruiser-class.
"Unidentified vessels detected approaching!" reported the Kunlun Mountain's sensor supervisor, tension evident in his voice.
The atmosphere on the bridge instantly tightened.
Having just concluded an intense battle, everyone remained highly alert. The sudden appearance of three unknown starships made the officers instinctively grip their consoles.
"Prepare main cannons for charging," Qin Bei Wang's voice was calm yet carried undeniable decisiveness. "If they show hostility, destroy the flagship immediately."
"Analyzing energy readings..." the sensor supervisor worked rapidly. "Battleship model match... [Scorpion-class]? Wait, that's our—"
A familiar callsign suddenly came through the comm channel.
[Battleship Scorpion hailing Kunlun Mountain. Identification Code: TF-102. Repeat, Identification Code: TF-102.]
Everyone on the bridge froze.
TF-2—the prefix for Iron Fist Sub-Fleet's direct fleet identification codes.
Battleship Scorpion—that was the battleship belonging to the Iron Fist Sub-Fleet's direct fleet.
"It's the Scorpion!" Zhuang ZhiXuan exhaled deeply, nearly slumping into her chair. "That's the battleship from Commander Yang's direct fleet!"
The tense atmosphere dissolved instantly, replaced by an absurd sense of relief. Moments ago, they had been preparing for battle against an unknown fleet, only to discover it was their own commander arriving.
Qin Bei Wang stared at the three blue dots slowing their approach on the tactical screen, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
Battleship Scorpion, accompanied by two Scorpion-class cruisers.
This configuration... was clearly Commander Yang Shao's contingency plan.
Obviously, the other party hadn't fully trusted this "young master" and had deliberately arranged for someone to follow behind.
Just in case something went wrong.
They could immediately take over.
On the Scorpion's bridge.
Captain Ran Shaohua stood before the tactical screen, repeatedly cross-checking the battlefield data just synchronized from the Pluto Squadron.
In his early forties, his short hair was already streaked with silver, and a faint scar from a youthful mishap marked his cheek.
At this moment, that scar twitched slightly along with his tightly pressed lips.
"Confirmed?"
His voice was soft, as if afraid of disturbing something.
"Confirmed three times, Captain."
The tactical officer's voice was equally hushed, carrying an air of awed disbelief.
"All twelve starships of the Dragon Lizard Fleet have been confirmed destroyed.
Among them, the flagship 'Fire Lizard' was obliterated by the main cannon of the Kunlun Mountain at a distance of two million kilometers.
The other eight were systematically annihilated by the Thunder and six Shadowmoon-Class Destroyers within fifteen minutes."
Ran Shaohua's finger traced over the red icons on the screen, each already marked as "Destroyed."
Behind every icon lay a starship several kilometers long and hundreds of Imperial soldiers.
He recalled the intelligence assessment of the Dragon Lizard Fleet: though a second-line unit, its commander, Gore Victor, was a seasoned expert in defensive warfare.
Theoretically, to completely annihilate such a fleet would require at least double the numbers, triple the firepower, and readiness to sustain over 30% casualties.
Yet the Pluto Fleet… had used only eight ships.
While the Pluto Fleet's starships were advanced T5 and T4-Class vessels,
considering their commander was still a greenhorn…
Eight against twelve, zero losses, total annihilation.
This achievement was more than enough to boast about.
"Attention, all hands."
His voice was clear and resolute.
"Effective immediately, the Scorpion and the two Scorpion-class cruisers are temporarily reassigned under the command of Lieutenant Commander Qin Bei Wang of the Pluto Fleet.
All combat directives will follow the lead of the Kunlun Mountain. Understood?"
The bridge fell into silence.
The officers exchanged glances, their eyes filled with shock, yet no one voiced an objection.
Because they had just seen that battle report.
Eight against twelve, zero losses, total annihilation.
Such a record was enough to silence any doubt.
"Communications officer."
Ran Shaohua said.
"Patch me through to the Kunlun Mountain."
On the bridge of the Kunlun Mountain, Qin Bei Wang looked at the holographic screen displaying Ran Shaohua's face, feeling a slight surprise.
"Captain Ran."
He nodded in acknowledgment.
"Commander Qin."
Ran Shaohua's expression was serious and formal.
"The battleship Scorpion and the two Scorpion-class cruisers, Flame Scorpio and Aqua Scorpio,
are temporarily reassigned under the command of the Pluto Fleet effective immediately.
Awaiting your orders."
Behind Qin Bei Wang, Zhuang ZhiXuan and the others wore expressions of sheer astonishment.
They still remembered a few days ago, when Qin Bei Wang, hungover and late, had been harshly criticized by Yang Shao during the combat briefing.
No one in the entire Iron Fist Sub-Fleet had thought much of this "Marshal's son."
Now, this same person had not only annihilated an entire enemy fleet but also compelled the captain of another main battleship to voluntarily relinquish command.
Nothing in this world was more unpredictable than this.
"Thank you for your support, Captain Ran."
Qin Bei Wang did not decline, knowing now was not the time for modesty.
"Then, in my capacity as commander of the Pluto Fleet, I accept command of the Scorpion formation.
Now, please synchronize the real-time status data of your three starships."
"Synchronizing now."
A few seconds later, three new blue dots appeared on the holographic star chart.
A dark blue triangle representing the Scorpion, and two light blue dots for the Scorpion-class cruisers.
The system quickly analyzed the status of the three ships:
[Scorpion: T4-Class Battleship, main weapon system integrity 92%, shield strength 87%, engine efficiency 95%]
[Flame Scorpio: T3-Class Cruiser, condition optimal]
[Aqua Scorpio: T3-Class Cruiser, condition optimal]
Three fresh combatants.
Although Scorpion was less advanced than Kunlun Mountain, as a battleship, its firepower projection and sustained combat capabilities far surpassed those of cruisers and destroyers.
Qin Bei Wang quickly calculated in his mind.
With these three additions, he now had 14 starships at his disposal.
One T5-Class Battleship, one T4-Class Battleship, four cruisers, six destroyers, and two reconnaissance ships.