Jade City, 3101.

Red Kestrel was broadcasting, "Since the war began seven days ago, Shell City has been subjected to a cumulative 28 rounds of air raids, destroying over 300 locations including houses, Mushroom Houses, city walls, and shelters."

"According to the real-time intelligence from Duke Beidu, the death toll is 243, with more than 700 injured. Essential materials had been dispersed and relocated to the shelters in advance, but still suffered some damage."

"Steel Refining City was hit by 11 rounds of air raids, with Blast Furnace No. 2 destroyed, the steel plant has completely ceased work, and mining activities have also stopped. The air raids resulted in 61 deaths, 49 of which occurred when the mining areas and blast furnaces were destroyed."

Zhou Yi frowned as he listened.

This was the result even with early warnings and defenses in place.

The moment Duke Destructive's aerial troops appeared, they were under satellite surveillance. However, despite this, due to the lack of high-altitude forces, neither Shell City nor Steel Refining City were able to counterattack effectively; they could only passively evacuate to the best of their ability.

The enemy air force struck in formation.

Their core combat power was Thunder Beasts.

These were large, triangular, B-grade biological creatures capable of flying at 4,000 meters, shaped like arrows with strong defenses and vitality.

When they attacked, they would spray red eggs from two cavities in their underbodies, which produced thunderous sounds. These eggs were not for hatching offspring but were used as explosive weapons, capable of high-speed attacks and detonation.

The Thunder Beasts bombed from high above.

Escorting them were three types of Guangna Species.

The outermost were two Scout Birds, whose vision could detect danger and ground conditions.

Closer in, there were ten Thorny Birds, which cleared and drove away all suspicious objects nearby.

The innermost were guarded by two C-grade Hunter Bats. These were wide-winged bat-like creatures, 1.5 meters wide, agile and swift, capable of causing dizziness and disorder with their sonar and fighting hand-to-hand with claws and teeth.

The entire air raid squad was a combination of biological bombers + escort planes + early-warning aircraft + fighters, fully equipped.

They took off at night, bombing the ground all the way during the flight. The only aerial force on the ground was Illusion Fish, but their flight ceiling was not high enough, and with the Thorny Birds and Hunter Bats present, they could not effectively block them.

The front lines were being dominated by the enemy's formidable aerial power.

Duke Beidu also felt helpless, "Normally, such intensive air raids would be difficult to achieve. It takes time for Thunder Beasts to produce enough Red Eggs to sustain attacks – at least a week to replenish their attack reserves."

"But the enemy has made improvements to the combination. They built simple ammunition depots on the backs of the Thunder Beasts, equipped with bomber soldiers. These soldiers would take modified Energy Bombs from the ammunition depots and drop them on the ground."

"This dual hybrid bombardment not only causes broader damage but also requires less from the Thunder Beasts. As long as there are enough Energy Bombs, they can sustain continuous air raids."

Energy Bombs were explosives modified from Energy Packs, originally used for blasting mines; combined with Thunder Beasts, they became simple and easy-to-use high-altitude bombs.

The two squadron leaders of the Northern Ocean Army were quite calm.

"Aerial power cannot be sustained for long due to huge consumption. The first month is the most difficult, when Thunder Beasts have the most ammunition and the attacked are more likely to be defeated."

"As long as we prepare proper regional defenses and maintain the city's defense system, the enemy will have to engage in landings and siege warfare if they want to take over."

Shell City was left in ruins from the bombing, and Duke Beidu decisively began to evacuate women and children, while Steel Refining City was forced to cease operations due to the air raids.

But the Development Alliance had not been without its own victories.

Duke Beidu led his team to hold the Dead Sea Defense Line in the north, keeping Duke Destructive's main fleet outside the safe zone.

Despite the numerical difference in warships, Duke Beidu relied on rich experience and combat skills to lure the enemy into a high-pressure zone. By taking advantage of the terrain of the Dead Sea, he inflicted heavy damage on and caused a C-grade warship to lose combat capability, sinking two D-grade warships.

At the same time.

Qin Xie, who had seemed out of contact, suddenly led his team over the Dead Sea, circling to the enemy's rear. He drove the B-grade heavy cruiser White Dove, coordinated with the C-grade light cruiser Chang Feng and Thorny Bird in combat, destroyed three enemy medium logistics ships, and demolished two D-grade escort warships before swiftly retreating.

This rear attack forced the enemy to temporarily slow down their offensive and contract their forces to protect logistics and supply.

It wasn't until his tactics were successful that Qin Xie contacted Zhou Yi.

"Sorry, in order to keep it secret, I didn't tell anyone about this operation. Even the captains of the four ships in our heavy cruiser guard were only informed of our attack target half a day ago."

The young man said with a smile, "Fortunately, the outcome wasn't too bad. It's difficult to confront Duke Destructive's fleet head-on, so we had to lure the enemy deeper and then attack their weak points."

He spoke lightly, but deep penetration into enemy territory for attacks carried great risks and demanded high levels of execution and judgment.

But the deterrence to the enemies was immediate.

In commanding combat, Qin Xie indeed had something special.

"Compared to my achievements, the Hunter you sent out is more impressive. I didn't expect Lie Hai to be that strong and even equipped with artillery with a range of a kilometer."

He asked curiously, "But with Thunder Beasts having such strong defense and so many escorting flying Guangna Species, how exactly did you manage to severely injure and bring them down?"

"Can you reveal some details?"

Zhou Yi paused to think.

Since everyone was now comrades in the same trench, it was best to be open and honest, which would also facilitate Qin Xie in making tactical decisions.

"This time it wasn't just Lie Hai that went on the strike; another employee of our company, Jiong He, was involved."

"It is a Condenser."

There was a hiss from the communicator.

"You don't mean you recruited that Condenser from the prison in United City last time?"

"No. That's not important."

Zhou Yi explained, "Lie Hai's use of the Gatling cannon to fire at the Thunder Beast was actually a feint, to cover for Jiong He, allowing it to accurately locate the Thunder Beast and penetrate its weak spot with a light blade for a lethal hit."

"The specialized attack power of a Condenser is terrifying..."

Qin Xie exclaimed, "Without a counterpart Condenser, it's nearly impossible to limit its speed and lethality. Now Duke Destructive must be having a headache too, as we have a strategic weapon that is difficult to counter."

Zhou Yi wished it were that simple.

He told his counterpart, "Indeed, Jiong He can penetrate the Thunder Beast, but it's hard to kill it directly."

"Duke Destructive has dispatched at least three Thunder Beasts this time. So far, we've injured one, rendering it unable to fight for a short period, which was a surprise attack. But to completely eliminate such a B-level lifeform is still challenging."

Zhou Yi also instructed Jiong He to try to kill the opponent if possible.

The Condenser said, "Chairman, I can do it, but I would need to use up most of my current strength."

"To create a light blade capable of instantly killing it, I must operate at overload to condense and compress energy. Afterwards, I will need a significant period of rest and recovery, and even Light Seeds won't be able to replenish me quickly."

So Zhou Yi chose another path.

It was sufficient for the Thunder Beast to temporarily lose its combat effectiveness.

"According to my inside information, Duke Destructive has at least nine Thunder Beasts."

Qin Xie warned, "These creatures will only be more cautious in the future, and they might even be equipped with countermeasures like Light Imprint Devices, or find defensive items or Guangna Species combinations; we have to prepare for a war of attrition."

"Now I've already joined forces with Duke Beidu, and we will launch joint operations to implement sea defenses and interdictions. I'll contact you with any progress."

After ending the conversation with Qin Xie,

Zhou Yi felt slightly relieved.

With Duke Destructive's aggressive air raids, it would have been difficult to retaliate without a Condenser.

The first wave of the attack had been weathered.

Although Shell City and Steel Refining City had stopped production and business, the previous trade with United City had accumulated a good amount of resources for them. Combined with the support of material transport from the Sand Port Region, there was no problem for the short term.

The refugees were being gradually relocated to the rear area of Sand Port Region.

Lord Sha Hai had absorbed and settled many immigrants, putting them to work to supply the frontlines with defense efforts.

Zhou Yi also made adjustments within his company, creating a northward extension from Jade City to reach the forest, where they laid out a dam long enough to accommodate 3,000 workers. The workers' housing, the Mushroom Houses, were on both sides of the dam, so that working and living were in one area, reducing commute distances.

If necessary, they could further extend into the Dead Sea from this foundation, expanding the dam's scale.

The employment issues of the displaced refugees were challenging, but Yuan Tong understood perfectly and promised to ensure that the new employees would work orderly, integrating into the company's structure.

Zhou Yi felt a wave of relief.

It was fortunate to have the mining industry able to accommodate a large labor force; even unskilled people could earn a livelihood when joining this system.

As Zhou Yi focused on the frontline situation, Red Kestrel said, "Ding Ye is outside the gate, requesting a visit."

"He says there's a prisoner who wants to see you."

"The prisoner claims to know the location of a Dead Sea Alien. It was controlled by Duke Destructive, but after it exploded, it sank into the Dead Sea. Although it's severely damaged, it's not completely destroyed."

Zhou Yi's eyes brightened.

This was a rogue architectural lifeform.

"Let Ding Ye bring them up."

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