The Moto fleet returned to the planet’s orbit in just two hours. However, due to the time spent assembling, nearly two days had passed since the Swarm launched their full-scale assault.


    This attack by the Swarm broke their previous pattern of operating only at night. As a result, the Moto ground forces had endured over thirty hours of continuous bombardment.


    At this intensity, only the most heavily fortified military bases could withstand the Swarm’s onslaught. And such high-level defensive bases were few and far between on the entire planet.


    However, the Moto soon discovered that the Swarm only targeted military installations like bases and outposts, leaving civilian facilities and civilians untouched.


    As a result, a large number of Moto soldiers deserted, disarming themselves and hiding among the civilian population. The Swarm made no effort to pursue these deserters, as if they didn’t even notice them.


    But the more astute among the Moto understood that while one or two deserters might escape the Swarm’s notice, it was impossible for all of them to go unnoticed.


    The Swarm didn’t do anything without purpose. There had to be a scheme behind this.


    Some naively suggested that in a war between two nations, shouldn’t military installations be the only targets, with civilians spared?


    The policies of the Ji had made the civilizations under their influence too complacent. While there were occasional conflicts, overall, they had grown too comfortable. Over time, beneath the veneer of civilization, they had forgotten the harshness of natural law.


    A war between two races wasn’t like a civil war. When it came to outsiders, the goal was complete annihilation.


    Fortunately, not everyone in the Ji was so naive. Some still understood this reality.


    Dismissing this naive idea, could it be that the Swarm was wary of the Moto or the strength of the Interstellar Technological Confederation, and thus avoided going too far, leaving room for future negotiations?


    But this idea was quickly rejected as well. The Swarm had launched a full-scale assault, leaving no room for retreat. Even if the Swarm surrendered immediately, the Interstellar Technological Confederation wouldn’t let them off the hook.


    Moreover, the situation was already suspicious. While the Moto weren’t privy to the intricate details of the war’s interests, they knew that the Swarm wasn’t insane. They wouldn’t start a war that, from their perspective, seemed like suicide.


    Since the Swarm seemed ready to die, what was there to fear?


    After much deliberation, the Moto couldn’t figure out the Swarm’s true intentions. But the rank-and-file soldiers didn’t care about the deeper implications. Faced with certain death, they had no choice but to grasp at any lifeline that appeared.


    Desertions increased, and the Moto high command could do little about it. The soldiers were their own people, and they couldn’t issue orders that would lead to their certain demise.


    Previously, the Moto hadn’t anticipated that the planet would come under attack before the space fleet was breached. In their minds, the space fleet would either hold off the Swarm or be destroyed.


    If they held, all would be well. But if the coalition fleet was annihilated, there would be no point in resisting on the planet. Thus, they had sent almost all their assets to the coalition fleet. ?á?o?????Еs?


    But the Swarm didn’t play by the rules. At the start of the war, while the coalition fleet was still unfamiliar with the Swarm’s tactics, they broke through the fleet’s defenses and dropped a slew of strange objects onto the planet.


    At the time, the Moto didn’t know what they were, but now it was clear they were some kind of incubators. And these incubators produced troops at an astonishing rate. In just over ten days, they had launched a global war.


    Lacking air units, the few gunships and transport ships the Moto had were quickly eliminated by the Vulturehawks. As a result, the Moto forces were limited to ground combat, which was no match for the Swarm’s three-dimensional assault from air, land, and underground.


    Fortunately, before the situation completely deteriorated, the three-thousand-ship fleet returned. Before they even finished docking in orbit, they opened their hangars, releasing over ten million fighters organized into nearly a million squadrons. These squadrons surged into the atmosphere.


    Although the Swarm had been operating on this planet for some time, they had spent most of that time in hiding and thus didn’t have many large aerial units.


    They could handle a few gunships, but they were no match for ten million space fighters. Moreover, the three thousand ships in high orbit, though insignificant on the main battlefield, were absolute powerhouses here.


    Air superiority shifted hands. Nearly a million fighter squadrons roared across the sky, their numbers so vast that they could be seen from anywhere on the planet’s surface.


    “Damn it! Where did they go?” What infuriated the Moto was that the Swarm forces, which had previously been swarming everywhere, had suddenly vanished. sea??h thё novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    “According to previous intelligence, the Swarm is highly skilled at digging tunnels. They’ve probably gone underground!”


    “Damn it!”


    “This is problematic. Even though we’ve regained air superiority, we still can’t eliminate the Swarm.”


    “Even if we can’t wipe them out, we need to make sure they don’t dare to come out!”


    “Recall the deserters. Given the circumstances, we’ll pardon their desertion. But if they don’t return now, they’ll face double punishment!”


    “Once we have more manpower, we’ll start evacuating civilians. The front lines aren’t looking good, so we need to prepare early.”


    “Three thousand ships can’t carry everyone, but we’ll take as many as we can. We’ll do our best.”


    “But we don’t have enough cryo-pods.”


    “Implement martial law. Resources will be allocated uniformly, with priority given to building cryo-pods! If the front lines fall, we won’t be able to take anything else anyway.”


    “Exactly. Build as many as we can. Even if we don’t have enough in the end, losing a few years of life is better than dying.”


    “I think we need to keep this operation secret. We can’t take too many people, and if word gets out, it could cause panic.”


    “Agreed…”


    Under the direction of the Moto high command, orders were issued. Deserters returned to their posts, and other preparations proceeded as planned.


    However, at night, various bases continued to suffer sporadic Swarm attacks. But the fighter squadrons were always on standby, with drone squadrons patrolling the skies at all times.


    As a result, the Moto’s air support was swift and decisive. Swarm forces that emerged were quickly bombarded. After a few such encounters, the frequency of Swarm night attacks decreased.


    The Swarm then changed tactics, and the Moto adapted in turn. The two sides engaged in a back-and-forth, with victories and losses on both sides. But without air superiority, the Swarm never achieved the same results as they had at the start.


    However, the struggle on the Moto planet was ultimately a minor skirmish. The true deciding factor for the future would be the main battlefield.