Ch.393I Can Do It, If It’s Me! (3)

The strategy for responding to Round 6 was none other than one widely used in both PVP and PVE in the past.

It was a strategy based on the fact that destroyers and patrol ships are smaller than other vessels, giving them higher maneuverability—in other words, higher “evasion rate.”

It was called the Small Ship Meat Shield Spam Strategy.

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Title: What is the Small Ship Meat Shield Spam Strategy?

Author: Anonymous

Content: [Image of a frog raising a question mark]

Is it just about producing tons of small ships and using them as meat shields?

Honestly, even after being possessed here, I’ve just been hanging around with superhumans, so I don’t know how to handle a fleet.

Comments:

-[Who came up with such a tasteless nickname?]

-[Oh, you mean the Condom Strategy?]

-˪[Why is the nickname like that?](Author)

-˪[It’s nothing special. The person who created the strategy called it Meat Shield Spam, but others said it was too long and called it that instead]

-˪[But honestly, “condom” is pretty fitting lolololol]

-˪[It’s because they use patrol ships literally like condoms to prevent enemy attacks from reaching valuable battleships or dreadnoughts, or something like that]

-[Lolololololololol]

-[The strategy creator is probably crying right now]

-˪[But does anyone remember who it was?]

-˪[Dunno? I think it was someone who quit quite a while ago]

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…Although most users were arbitrarily giving strange names to someone’s carefully crafted strategy.

Anyway, the important thing was that I would invest all the points from the battleships and cruisers that were destroyed in Round 5 into producing small ships.

-Giiiiiiing! Thud! Thud!

“It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen regular shipyards operating at full capacity.”

“Mmm, that’s certainly true.”

According to my intentions, in the approximately five regular shipyards combined from the base and outposts…

Ship construction was proceeding at a frantic pace, as if not wanting to waste even a minute or second.

Of course, on the surface, it looked like we could produce hundreds of patrol ships in a day, but…

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Fleet Status

Total Points: 885/950 points

Dreadnought: 1 ship, 90 points each = 90 points

Aircraft Carrier: 3 ships, 70 points each = 210 points

Special Battleship: 2 ships, 65 points each = 130 points

Battleship: 3 ships, 40 points each = 120 points

Subspace Submarine: 1 ship, 50 points each = 50 points

Light Aircraft Carrier: 0 ships, 40 points each = 0 points

Battle Cruiser: 3 ships, 30 points each = 90 points

Heavy Cruiser: 0 ships, 10 points each = 0 points

Light Cruiser: 20 ships, 6 points each = 120 points

Destroyer: 0 ships, 3 points each = 0 points

Escort Ship: 0 ships, 1.5 points each = 0 points

Patrol Ship: 0 ships, 1 point each = 0 points

Resource Mining Ship: 30 ships, 1.5 points each = 45 points

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“So it’s not even 100 points in total.”

“Well, we had a fleet exceeding the point limit from the beginning.”

Although it was true that we had permanently parted ways with 1 battleship and 2 battle cruisers in Round 5.

As Jessica said, we had previously assembled a fleet that exceeded the fleet point limit using the Dreadnought and Bayern.

“72 points means…”

“That’s exactly 10 destroyers and 22 patrol ships.”

“Hmm, so my spam is only 32 ships.”

Quite regrettably, upon learning that I could only produce 32 meat shields to draw aggro from enemy fleet attacks and explode in our place.

I realized how much I had been depending on “mercenaries” all this time, and became newly aware that I had unconsciously developed some bad habits.

And around this point while discussing points, Jessica brought up something she said she had forgotten.

“By the way, Commander, didn’t you say in the gallery before that the Ouroboros-class was worth 150 points?”

“Huh?”

“But why did it suddenly drop to 65 points when you got it?”

“Oh, that?”

Since I knew the reason, I hadn’t specifically mentioned it thinking Jessica knew too…

But realizing it was indeed something to be curious about, I decided to explain it briefly.

“That was just a misunderstanding by the gallery guys.”

“What?”

“From the beginning, what emerged was 2.5 times Neranzara’s 50 points, meaning 125 points worth of ‘fleet,’ not a single ‘ship.'”

“…Oh.”

That’s right.

From the start, Ouroboros didn’t appear as a single ship, but as a set with its own ‘escort fleet.’

“Including its escort fleet, it came out as 125 points worth, which is why there were many small ships in the enemy fleet at that time.”

“I see.”

Perhaps because she felt she had finally solved a long-standing question.

I could see Jessica’s black rabbit ears twitching and bouncing vigorously, proving her good mood.

==========

And about three days later.

“Commander, Battleship No. 3 and Battle Cruiser No. 1 that went into dock have rolled out.”

“Oh.”

“And as you instructed, 10 destroyers and 22 patrol ships have completed basic leveling work under Berial’s command.”

“Good, very good.”

“Since the Dreadnought and Bayern-class are SOFA, we finished repairs by attaching one resource mining ship to each.”

“Excellent.”

Finally, with all ships on standby, I began to make all the final preparations I could.

“Have all the small ships been recalled to base?”

“Yes, Commander.”

“Then for the small ships, only equip enough armor to withstand CIWS or fighter missiles, and focus entirely on mobility-specialized equipment.”

“Just for evasion, right?”

Since the small ships’ role was simply to disperse the enemy fleet’s fire.

We abandoned firepower and armor—tanking—and set up equipment and enhancements solely to evade enemy fleet attacks.

And conversely, for my main ships led by the Dreadnought.

“Hresvelgr, Kraken, and Ouroboros will keep their current equipment settings.”

“You’re not making any modifications?”

“They’re already optimized. Instead, all other battleships and cruisers below the Dreadnought will be armor-reinforcement types.”

“Yes.”

Although I didn’t know how the enemy would come at us, I had roughly gauged the enemy’s “firepower” from Round 5…

At minimum, I slathered on enough armor reinforcement equipment to withstand that, and additionally.

“Commander, what about the fleet barrier?”

“Ah right, there was that.”

I attached the “fleet barrier” I got from the last gacha to the Dreadnought, to prevent situations like the “simultaneous firing of 10 annihilation ships” I had read about in the gallery posts earlier.

I made every possible effort to prevent any ridiculous bad luck from befalling me.

Of course, seeing me work this hard, Jessica left one final warning-laden remark.

“Commander, this is really the last thing I’m asking.”

“What is it? Tell me.”

“Just a few days ago, you were afraid to continue after Round 5 because ships might get destroyed. How did you suddenly become so courageous?”

“…Weren’t you watching right beside me and figured it out?”

When I looked at her with disbelief after hearing such words, Jessica shook her head and spoke again.

“That’s not what I meant. It’s just that instead of being skeptical from the start…”

“Huh?”

“It’s like you suddenly got fixated on something, suddenly opposing what other commanders were saying in the gallery.”

“Ah, that’s what you meant.”

And to Jessica’s words, I fell into contemplation about how to express this thought I had both then and now.

After a moment.

“…Yes, this explanation should be sufficient.”

“What is it?”

“I can do it, if it’s me!!!”

I decided to boldly express my thoughts with an attitude full of confidence.

Of course, Jessica’s response to my attitude was…

“Wow, that sounds like something people who are about to experience terrible results in the future and fall into despair would say.”

“What.”

She only gave a thoroughly scathing evaluation.