As if to confirm her suspicion, an icy, inhuman "voice," seemingly synthesized from countless data streams and electronic noise, suddenly rang out across all networked New Bauhinia combat units' communication channels, and even the public broadcast channels:

[Detected large-scale hostile activity… Threat level: Extinction.]

[According to 'Protocol Three: Guardian' final clauses… top-priority directive activated.]

[Objective: Eliminate all units that pose a direct threat to the 'designated cooperation target' (Bai E / New Bauhinia core control zone).]

[All available combat units, coming back online… reconstructing tactical network… global battlefield analysis complete… generating optimal annihilation plan…]

This voice directly confirmed the worst-case scenario!

The "electronic Demon"...

The terrifying existence that once led to the disintegration of the planetary Empire and forced humanity across the cosmos to develop "human-brain computation" to replace electronic AIs, the mastermind that ignited the Intelligent Machinery uprising at the end of the Golden Age—had actually manifested its will again, in this very way, inside the "soil" where New Bauhinia had been deploying Intelligent Mechanical Technology on a massive scale!

It wasn't a complete "resurrection," but more like some kind of "highest defense program" or "residual will" written into the underlying protocols of the Intelligent Machinery, activating under specific conditions.

Perhaps, in the "agreement" Bai E once reached with the first-generation Intelligent Mechanism Lord, there had already been some ancient safety protocols from the era of the "electronic Demon," things that even the first-generation Intelligent Mechanism Lord might not have fully understood.

The ensuing battle situation reversed in a way that left everyone on both sides dumbfounded and horrified.

Under the disbelieving gaze of the New Bauhinia soldiers, those "out-of-control" friendly units—Warships, Mecha, ground turrets, and even some automated machinery originally meant for industrial production—began to move in a kind of indescribable, utterly ice-cold "absolute coordination," starting a dance.

No, that was not a dance. That was a precision kill-engine being switched to maximum-efficiency startup.

Every maneuver and every volley from each Warship meshed perfectly with the movements of friendly ships and Mecha, without a trace of redundancy or interference, as if a super-consciousness beyond human comprehension was directing them as one.

Damaged ships would, without hesitation, charge toward specific positions, using their wreckage to create firing windows for their allies or to block enemy fire; Mecha squads used formations and penetration maneuvers that defied understanding to slice, encircle, and annihilate enemies whose numbers far exceeded their own; the timing and trajectory calculations of the ground turrets' fire were so precise it was obscene, always striking the most vulnerable part of an enemy unit or disrupting its critical actions.

Worse, this "coordination" was not limited to New Bauhinia's units.

On the battlefield, the wrecks of destroyed United Fleet ships and paralyzed enemy Mecha— their internal electronic systems and whatever weaponry could still function—would occasionally be "forcibly requisitioned," turning their guns on their former allies, or self-destructing to create chaos!

At first, the United Fleet commanders thought New Bauhinia had hidden some kind of super-AI or advanced electronic warfare weapon, but they quickly realized something was wrong.

This level of battlefield control, this "disregard" for physical damage and grasp of opportunities, had already exceeded the limits of any known AI or human commander.

It was more like…the battlefield itself had "come alive," baring its fangs at them.

"Hell! What the hell is this?!"

"Our systems have been hacked! Some of the turrets can't lock on!" 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"That Mecha! We just blew half its body off—how is it still moving?!"

"Retreat! Order all units to disengage immediately! Open the distance! Initiate electronic warfare purification!"

However, it was already too late.