Chapter 519: Evacuation
In less than a year of formal combat, the Locke Mutual Aid Society’s plan to stop the Swarm’s advance had completely collapsed.
The coalition fleet sent to intercept the Swarm’s gathering point was instead encircled by the Swarm. After several major civilizations’ fleets were annihilated, the remaining foreign civilizations crumbled and fled toward the LKDW262 star system.
However, they were intercepted by Swarm forces outside LKDW262 and subsequently crushed between the Swarm’s pincer movement, resulting in near-total annihilation.
Difeck, thanks to a warning from Viller, managed to escape with his escort fleet and a few allied civilizations. Using the superior propulsion systems of their ships, they exploited a timing gap to break through the Swarm’s encirclement and pursuit. After fleeing toward the Koya Alliance for a distance, they safely turned back into the territory of the Locke Mutual Aid Society.
Meanwhile, in the LKDW262 star system, the situation, though dire, was not as catastrophic. The battle had not dragged on for too long, and a significant portion of the fleet remained intact.
The Moto’s three-thousand-ship fleet, which had been sent to support the planet, fled early with a portion of the population. Subsequently, the entire front line collapsed, and the various races’ fleets scattered in disarray. However, the general direction of their retreat was toward LKDW257.
The Swarm, already aware that the coalition had reorganized its defenses at LKDW257 and having achieved its strategic objectives, chose not to pursue the fleeing forces, allowing them to escape.
“These coalition forces were kept in the dark until their defeat. Once they return, with our cooperation, they might stir up some trouble.”
“Trouble is just trouble. It won’t have much impact. We need to focus on our own tasks and quickly consolidate our newly occupied territories.”