Chapter 602: Chapter 585: Formation!

The Ten Thousand Miles of Sunshine cruised alone through the empty channel at its normal speed.

The 1,500-meter-long hull was exceptionally eye-catching. The metallic luster of the Law-level Main Cannon at the bow gleamed like a longsword determined to be unsheathed. The emblem of Wesren Heavy Industry was printed on both sides of the hull, completely undisguised.

Allen leaned against the command console, his deep blue eyes half-closed. However, his Spiritual Power acted like an invisible net, simultaneously receiving three lines of information.

The first came from the Ten Thousand Miles of Sunshine’s own sensor array and its various operational systems. The second originated from the Cybertron Fortress, where forty combat legions and 120,000 war machines had completed their final inspections and were awaiting deployment orders. The third line came from the North Wind. Disguised as an ordinary merchant ship, this spy vessel was trailing thousands of kilometers behind the Skeleton Duke’s Fleet, faithfully relaying every piece of data intercepted by Xiong Er’s passive sensors.

These three information lines converged to form a complete picture of the battlefield. The position, speed, and formation changes of the Skeleton Duke’s fleet were all marked in real time on the virtual sandbox in front of him.

"How long until contact?" Allen asked.

"Calculated based on the current speeds and headings of both sides, the time of intersection is one hour and twenty-seven minutes." Jarvis’s voice was as steady as ever. "The North Wind reports that the enemy fleet’s formation has not changed. They are still marching in a standard formation."

"They haven’t discovered us yet, have they?"

"We have not been exposed yet. According to the data collected by the North Wind, it is estimated that our signal has a probability of being captured by the enemy’s Dawn Star Level perception methods once we are within 6,000 kilometers of them."

***

On the White Bone Throne.

This terrifying 2,000-meter-long flagship was constructed from the spine of some ancient Giant Beast. The bridge was located in a swollen bone cavity at the very top of the spine. The lighting was dim, with green Ghost Fire dancing in the skeletal lampstands on the walls.

The Skeleton Duke sat in a command seat carved from the shoulder blade of some massive creature, his withered body shrouded in a loose, dark gray hooded robe.

To his right stood Kesuga. This former Blood Sea Monarch was now nothing more than a body that Sara had pieced back together from the Blood Pool. Standing at just over three meters tall after manifesting, he had long lost his former prestige.

Sara leaned against a skeletal pillar on the left side of the bridge, her arms crossed over her chest. Her skinless body exposed the texture of every red muscle fiber, looking increasingly horrifying the longer one stared.

Just then, a Crystal Ball at the front of the bridge suddenly flashed.

"Duke." A hoarse, grating voice emanated from the Crystal Ball. It belonged to a Witch Demon in charge of the White Bone Throne’s perception array. "A large artificial object signal has been detected ahead, in the middle section of the D-24 channel."

"Distance?"

"Approximately 5,800 kilometers, and approaching rapidly."

Upon hearing this, the attention of the three individuals on the bridge immediately focused.

The Skeleton Duke didn’t speak immediately. His Power of the Necromancy Law seeped into the Crystal Ball like ink dissolving in water, causing a blurry mass of light and shadow to emerge in its center. At this distance, remote perception couldn’t penetrate the finer details, but the outline of the signal was clear enough.

"There are no scheduled routes in this direction." The Skeleton Duke’s voice sounded like two dry bones scraping against each other—low and coarse. "What kind of ship is it?"

As majestic Magic Power poured into the White Bone Throne’s perception array, the light and shadow in the Crystal Ball gradually sharpened, capturing a logo on the side of the hull.

Wesren Heavy Industry.

The people on the bridge instantly exchanged looks of dismay.

"The Wesren Heavy Industry logo?" The Skeleton Duke stared at the blurry silhouette of the ship. "A 1,500-meter-class battleship, sailing alone in the D-24 section of the Gray Channel... Could this be the flagship of that Alchemy Wizard?"

Sara straightened up from the pillar, her exposed muscle tissues twitching slightly with the movement. "Are there really people this blind nowadays, daring to wander alone in the second half of the Gray Channel?"

Kesuga stared fixedly at the Crystal Ball, the blood mist around his body beginning to churn.

"That’s the ship!" His voice suppressed an almost uncontrollable hatred. "I wouldn’t mistake it. It was this exact ship! It hid in the sky, leveled my Holy Mountain, and shattered my Blood Pool!"

The Skeleton Duke ignored Kesuga’s emotional outburst. His attention remained fixed on the Crystal Ball. "Is there only this one?"

"Only one signal has been detected so far," the Witch Demon replied. "Within a 6,000-kilometer radius, no other large artificial objects or biological signals have been detected."

"Just this one?" Sara couldn’t help but repeat, her tone turning bewildered. "He actually ran out here all by himself? Did his Plane go bankrupt, forcing him to do business in person?"

A wave of low laughter echoed across the bridge.

"Don’t be careless." The Skeleton Duke spoke cautiously, but his actions betrayed his true thoughts. "Entire fleet, increase speed."

He didn’t issue any orders to decelerate or change course. In his two hundred years as a Star Thief, he knew one truth all too well: in the Gray Channel, if you discovered a lone prey, the only thing you needed to do was bite into it before it could run away. Hesitation meant letting the prey slip into the Plane Crystal Wall, and by then, it would be difficult to catch.

A 1,500-meter-class battleship might seem difficult to deal with, but he had seventeen Pseudo-Dawn Star Bone Dragons, seven Floating Battleships, and a full three Dawn Star Level combatants—himself, Sara, and Kesuga. This was a formidable force anywhere.

By these calculations, the advantage was completely his.

"That ship has at most one or two Dawn Star Level Golems on it," the Skeleton Duke stated his judgment. "The Alchemy Wizard’s own combat power is limited, and he relies on Golems. Traveling on a single ship means that his Golem Legion has been left behind inside his Plane for defense."

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