Stellaris Tech Tree HSR

The engines roared, and the heavens dimmed.

Countless stars adorned the vast sky—this was the first time Chen Lin had personally stepped into space and seen the boundless starry expanse with his own eyes.

Without the barriers of the ship obstructing his view, they successfully entered the space station's vicinity.

In that moment, three colossal behemoths cast the entire station into shadow.

Chen Lin stared blankly at the massive warships floating above him, utterly stunned by their sheer scale.

In games, most ships looked like clusters of ants when scaled down. Few paid attention to the actual size of the ships when translated into reality. Technological limitations of the previous world meant such creations were inconceivable, and without real-world comparisons, it was easy to dismiss these concepts as mere fantasies.

But now, he had seen them with his own eyes.

The Doomsday Beast wasn't even as large as one of these escort ships. The first arriving escort ship alone overshadowed a significant portion of the station's deck, bristling with cannons that hinted at an overwhelming firepower far beyond comprehension.

Finally snapping out of his daze, Chen Lin examined the design of these three escort ships more closely.

What he saw nearly caused his brain to crash.

The three escort ships, gifted to him for free, each boasted dozens of slots filled with laser weapons and armor!

Even if the weapons and armor were only the most basic starting tech, the sheer number of slots was staggering. In the game, these three ships, with some simple upgrades, could easily wipe out several small AI-controlled empires later in the game.

Doomsday Beast, you think you're a match for the stars? These escort ships alone could annihilate you!

Even Himeko, usually composed, was visibly shaken by the sight. She had assumed these so-called warships were roughly the size of the Astral Express, especially since Chen Lin claimed he could control them with his mind. Though she didn't understand the principle, she figured their size couldn't be too overwhelming if they were brain-operated.

The Doomsday Beast, caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, hesitated. Instinct told it that the massive constructs above were likely its enemies, while the tiny ants below posed no significant threat. It had to deal with the larger foes first.

Whoosh!

A fierce gust rose as the Doomsday Beast flapped its massive wings, ascending into the sky to confront the three warships.

Chen Lin had been waiting for this. If the Doomsday Beast had remained perched on the deck, he couldn't have attacked without turning the station into a crater.

For now, he could only issue basic commands to the warships: move, attack, retreat. Advanced micro-controls were beyond his current capabilities. He would need to test his limits step by step during battle.

As the beast ascended, Chen Lin shouted to his teammates to retreat and simultaneously commanded the escort ships to target the Doomsday Beast.

It didn't matter if they could kill it—the key was to buy time.

In the game, escort ships were renowned for their agility. Many players included them in their fleets when facing overpowered MOD-based enemy nations. Their maneuverability allowed them to draw enemy fire, protecting the main battleships in the rear. They were also cost-effective, and their sheer numbers made them formidable even against larger warships in close combat.

Thus, the "Escort Swarm" tactic was born.

The X-Slot made one-on-one duels with Fallen Empires more than a pipe dream.

March, clearly startled, came running frantically. She raised her head, only to see the sky ablaze with dazzling lights. The expansive starry sky was lit up by the hundreds of lasers and missile turrets from the three escort ships, transforming it into a kaleidoscope of color.

"What... what is this?!"

The red laser beams fired from the ships were fundamentally different from the portable laser weapons Chen Lin carried. The caliber alone made his handheld devices look like toys. Despite the Doomsday Beast's formidable armor and massive size, it was still injured while entangled with the escort ships.

Chen Lin had issued only a simple attack command, yet the escort ships didn't mindlessly fire. Instead, they coordinated to evade the Doomsday Beast's attacks, minimizing the risk to their allies.

Small-scale nuclear missiles combined with lasers bombarded the beast's tough hide with relentless precision. A single hit might not have been enough to cause significant damage, but after a hundred strikes concentrated on the same spot, even the Doomsday Beast couldn't ignore it.

Even ants can bite an elephant to death if there are enough of them!

Before long, after heavily damaging two escort ships, the Doomsday Beast realized it could no longer continue the skirmish. The space station's self-defense weapons were almost fully charged.

The station, armed with the universe's most advanced defense systems, wasn't like the escort ships—it wasn't just going to scratch the surface. The Doomsday Beast couldn't endure its barrage in its current battered state.

It had to create an opening for retreat.

"——ROAR!!"

Hiss——

The escort ships' engines, inferior in design, struggled as the Doomsday Beast toyed with them. It raised its massive head, gathering energy in its body that coalesced into a devastating attack.

All of this happened in mere seconds—too fast for anyone to react.

The beast's head glowed with blinding light, and a deadly wave of energy surged forth!

Against weaker civilizations, this creature had every right to claim the ability to annihilate entire planets...

This was the last thought that crossed Chen Lin's mind as the energy wave approached.

He realized his mistake. Despite his strongest assets being the escort ships, his enhanced human body was still, at its core, human. Against similarly-sized enemies, he could fight barehanded, but against the Doomsday Beast...

He was powerless.

Chen Lin leaned back instinctively, but escape was clearly too late.

"Well, this sucks," he muttered, resigned.

Shing!!

Just as the energy wave was about to engulf him, a figure leapt in front of Chen Lin. She spread her arms wide, closed her eyes tightly, and shielded him with her body.

It was the girl who had harassed him countless times since they first met. In this moment of crisis, she threw herself forward, taking the brunt of the attack for him.

"Damn it, ram it!" Chen Lin shouted, issuing a crude command to a damaged escort ship.

Its engines roared to maximum capacity, fuel consumption skyrocketing as the ship surged toward the airborne Doomsday Beast while continuing its barrage.

Boom——

The escort ship detonated, its entire payload igniting in a catastrophic explosion. The shockwaves from the blast swept toward the group.

On Stelle's chest, a radiant glow erupted. An invisible shield unfurled before her, blocking the incoming energy entirely.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze. Chen Lin could hear the heartbeat of every person around him.

His vision blurred, replaced by an ethereal space—a vast, blue expanse. In the distance stood a massive throne, flanked by eighteen smaller chairs.

He didn't understand what this place was or who had once occupied those seats, but an inexplicable desire to sit upon the central throne surged within him.

As this thought arose, a familiar event window appeared before his eyes.

[Black Tower Space Station: Incident]

Our battle against the Doomsday Beast was fiercely intense. General Smith, commanding his critically damaged warship, rammed the beast head-on. His heroism ignited the spirits of everyone present. Within the other compartments, the soldiers burned with righteous fury, vowing to fight for the survival of their species, no matter the cost. We will never retreat!

"Crush all enemies and erect a monument for our heroes! They will live forever!"(Human Federation Escort Ship No. 2 destroyed; Human Federation Escort Ship No. 3 destroyed; Doomsday Beast neutralized.)

"We cannot bear further losses... Retreat!"

(Doomsday Beast retreats. Incident chain ends. Human Federation Escort Ship No. 1 self-destructs.)

At this point, hesitation was not an option. Retreat was for cowards. If they were to fight, it would be a fight to the death!

Humanity always possessed unparalleled courage when challenging insurmountable foes.

Chen Lin took a gamble and selected the first option: "Crush all enemies and erect a monument for our heroes! They will live forever!"

The pitch-black void dissipated, and the remaining two escort ships seemed to pour every ounce of glory into their engines. They pushed to their limits, blue thrusters roaring like they could tear the vacuum apart, shaking the entire space station.

Countless attacks lit up the starry sky above the station, transforming it into a brilliant display. The Doomsday Beast, originally planning to retreat, suddenly went berserk and launched into another frenzied confrontation with the escort ships.

Amid the chaos, it seemed as though everyone could faintly hear a broadcast from the two remaining escort ships. The voice wasn't loud, but it was unmistakably clear.

"In the face of this assault, we have no choice but to take up arms and deliver judgment!"

"Prayers will not grant us salvation!"

"Men, perhaps none of us will survive. Every day, we fight with our backs against the wall! But for the Federation! For our leader! For the last vestiges of human civilization… we will never retreat in the face of alien scum threatening our kind's only spark of hope! We will not falter—ever!!"

"Never retreat!! Long live the leader! Long live the great Federation!!"

At the moment of collision, both ships detonated their entire stockpile of munitions, erupting in a magnificent inferno.

Yes, an inferno reaching for the heavens...

Beautiful, yet somber.

True heroes had turned to dust.

This time, the Doomsday Beast, now battered and in pieces, had no gravitational pull to reabsorb its dismembered parts. Instead, massive chunks of its body crashed down onto the station's deck, shaking the entire structure violently.

The one shielding Chen Lin—Stelle—began to exhibit an alarming transformation. From her chest, countless golden streaks of light burst forth, causing her to rise painfully into the air.

No one knew what to do. They were frozen, paralyzed by the bizarre sight.

Then, out of nowhere, a man appeared and rushed toward them.

Clang—

The golden light shattered with a strike from the man's cane. Stelle, who had been floating mid-air, slowly descended, the abnormality dissipating.

At this moment, March's delighted cry rang out.

"Uncle Yang, you're finally here!!"

But none of this mattered to Chen Lin anymore. The moment he entered that strange, ethereal space, his mind had grown heavy with exhaustion. Now, with the Doomsday Beast defeated, he finally allowed himself to collapse, shutting his eyes.

In the haze of unconsciousness, a voice echoed in his mind. It sounded like the same voice from the ship's broadcast.

"Rather than entrust your fate to the stars, why not take control of the stars' destiny instead... May humanity's glory endure forever!"

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