The light blue Planet's Shield emitted a faint glow. Although it could not be compared to the moon in terms of size or shape, looking at this massive planet emitting a soft glow inevitably reminded one of moonlight. At such times, people couldn't help but feel homesick.
The escort ships of the three formations appeared gigantic as they set sail from the dock, but as they drew closer to Apocalypse Star, they seemed incredibly small. As they sailed into the light of the Shield, not even a single ripple was stirred on its wide surface, like grains of sand cast into the sea, disappearing without a trace in an instant.
The captains knew that their ships might not return, but they still calmly watched the surveillance projections. The only thing they wanted to know was how the other side planned to deal with the escort ship squadron.
An escort ship formation consisted of 16 ships, including the river-class escort ships themselves, along with five reconnaissance ships, three supply ships, and seven aerospace fighters. This was effectively a space version of an aircraft carrier fleet. This time, the river-class escort ships taking on the mission were the Hudson River, Niger River, and Ganjiang River, captained by an American, a Nigerian, and a Chinese person, respectively.
Among the river-class escort ships, these three main ships belonged to the second generation, about two tiers below the Mississippi River, Nile River, or Yellow River.
Nevertheless, they were still a formidable force, at least able to achieve star system escort level. This meant that any one of these fleets could defend a solar system-like star system, and with the three working together, the range and level of protection grew exponentially.
The three fleets slowly cruised into the range of Apocalypse Star during directed patrols, but instead of entering the Shield, they began patrolling along its surface. Their speed seemed slow, but it was actually the maximum speed the escort ships could achieve.
As they had patrolled along the Shield for approximately 0.7 light years' distance—practically standing still compared to Apocalypse Star's volume—a thin red light suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Initially like a glitch in the image, there was just a thin line in the middle, but it then rapidly filled the entire screen. The next second, countless alarms blared in the unmanned cabin.
From the aerospace fighter's perspective, a red laser suddenly hit the Hudson River, and the fleet's shield instantly lit up and flashed. However, when the light faded, the fleet had not sustained any damage.
The people at the base, watching the monitoring equipment, shouted, "Prepare to return! Return quickly!"
"No! The fleet's shield was effective! We can probe a bit more. The opponent is sure to increase their power!"
The three captains hesitated for a moment, refraining from pressing the return button. Logically, the Shield could still hold. But as they thought this, the same red laser appeared once again, only this time simultaneously attacking all three fleets.
The screen turned white again, and when it cleared, the previously struck Hudson River remained stationary. From other fighter's perspectives, a large hole could be seen burned into its back, and its power system seemed completely destroyed.
The Ganjiang River had its entire rear section sliced off, with nearby fighters and supply ships exploding in chaos. When this image appeared on the screen, all the scientists and generals rose to their feet.
"My God, what kind of weapon is that?! The Ganjiang River's shield was at full capacity, and aside from the United Fleet Shield, it had its own escort ship shield! Didn't they hold it off?!"
"That laser must be strange. Has the black box data been returned?! Organize a team for analysis immediately! Quick!"
"The other fleets should evacuate as soon as possible, withdrawing from the strike range at the fastest speed. Don't tow the scrapped ships, return immediately!"
The surviving Niger River, with all remaining reconnaissance ships, supply ships, and fighters in tow, turned back. Fortunately, the opposing side seemed to have no further intention of attacking. Once out of the Shield's range, the fleet was safe.
The result of this probe weighed heavily on everyone's hearts like a boulder. With just one attack, two escort warships were directly decommissioned, and one of them was in full condition. This indicated that the planet's automated defense system could directly take out human escort ships at full capacity without any room for struggle.
"What do the Superheroes say?" someone asked, "Didn't someone know this planet is called Apocalypse Star? Do they know anything about the laser?"
"Iron Man provided some information," another person said, "It seems to be the Omega Ray, a power similar to Divine Power used by the Titan Race, from Emperor Darkseid of Apocalypse Star—Omega Effect."
The group burst into intense discussion. Unexpectedly, not only did Batman bring Apocalypse Star, but he also brought the Emperor of Apocalypse Star. Nevertheless, they also called on Odin for help, so the big brother can't complain about the second brother.
"Immediately send the recordings and data to Asgard!" the General said, "Request them to issue a detailed response report... if they're too lazy to write it, even an audio recording would do."
Despite the large number of people at the command center, most were generals and scientists in technical positions, with almost no clerks. Because JARVIS handled all data collection and analysis tasks. Before the war began, JARVIS had already taken over all electronic devices, so even if Batman wanted to hack electronically, it would be impossible, and the capacity for information and intelligence analysis had risen more than one level.