Although Blue Faction's recent shot didn't hit the Red Tiger, it did achieve a distracting effect.
The Red Tiger's port side armor took some impact, one of its side cannons was destroyed again, and the reactive armor also suffered quite severe scuff marks.
Yu Lian was almost certain that there must be an extraordinary gunner on the enemy ship, at least at Ina (Present)'s level. And the enemy's shelling could only get more accurate. He sighed and issued an evasion command.
The Red Tiger began to accelerate, moving out of the way of the enemy ship's bow main cannon's firing trajectory, attempting once again to flank the opponent.
At this moment, news also came from Li Baolu's side that he was entangled with the returning enemy aircraft. Their combat strengths were similar, so it would likely be a mutual destruction.
"Don't worry, the pressure on the enemy is much greater than ours!" Yu Lian said to everyone, while constantly monitoring all data feedback.
As the Red Tiger accelerated, it got closer and closer to the enemy, but its energy shield was still in a semi-shutdown state.
"Launch all missiles! Don't hold back, I mean all of them! Also, all close-in weapons systems prepare yourselves, their missiles should be arriving soon!"
Yu Lian fully believed that at this moment, the enemy must have made the exact same move as him.
The explosion of simulated missiles created an invisible explosion zone between the two ships, even affecting radar detection.
However, Yu Lian could still sense the presence of that massive ship from the strong, entangled light of the phantom.
"Railgun, A4, B5, two volleys!" He directly issued the firing command.
The two main and assistant gunners began shelling. The railgun shells disappeared into the light curtain, seemingly vanishing. But Yu Lian was certain that even if they didn't hit directly, they should have achieved a near-miss effect.
However, with just this firepower, it wasn't enough to sink Blue Faction in one go.
"Maintain continuous fire! Maximum intensity!"
"Captain, the main cannon will be overloaded..." Liu Li said.
"I know." Yu Lian said. He had no intention of changing his attitude.
Liu Li and Zhi Xia exchanged a glance, and the latter walked directly out of the bridge towards the crew quarters on the lower deck, opening the communication channel as she went.
"Kou Shan, has everyone completed their armor donning?"
"Completed!"
"What about Gongsun Qing?"
"Young Miss is meditating... She said at most one minute."
The Red Tiger continued its advance, firing at least a dozen shots during a short, minute-long charge, until the exercise directorate's data center issued a "main cannon structure overheating, unable to fire" judgment.
But by this time, they had also broken through the cover of the light mist and saw the Blue Monarch, which was "on fire."
The enemy ship's condition was far worse than the Red Tiger's, yet she was not judged to be sunk. Clearly, there was also a very excellent damage control team inside the ship.
Since it wasn't sunk, they continued to bombard it. Without Yu Lian even needing to give the order, Lilia pressed the trigger again.
However, as the Red Tiger's railgun shells whistled out, a crimson beam of light already swept diagonally towards the front of the bow, heading directly for the bridge.
Before Lu Ke could relay this information to Yu Lian, Annie had already taken evasive action.
She had done her best. At such close range, facing the unknown god-tier gunner on the opposite side, the Red Tiger still avoided the greatest damage.
However... that was all it managed.
"Bow severely damaged! The positron main cannon and ion main cannon have been destroyed!" Liu Li said helplessly.
"What about the railgun?"
"The previous firing was too frequent, and the shell transmission track is overheating... Tamir has already gone there himself! He said to give him one minute."
Yu Lian looked at the blue ship opposite, and even with his naked eye, he could see his railgun shells hitting the enemy ship, and then quickly received feedback.
"Enemy ship hit! Midship on fire!"
The "on fire" effect was, of course, simulated. Unfortunately, it wasn't a real combat situation, so it was a bit distorted. Even Yu Lian could only see that more than half of the enemy ship had lost its lights. However, her engines were still turning, albeit with great difficulty. Her bow main cannon was also still flashing with a heart-pounding crimson light.
Tsk, just one or two more shots would have been enough to completely sink her! Such an outcome would truly conform to my aesthetic! Yu Lian sighed, finally unable to resist looking at Kardier Shao Xiao behind him.
The other person had a poker face and was looking up at the sky.
Yu Lian shrugged and said loudly, "Continue forward! Engage maximum charge speed!"
In the end, it still came down to deciding the winner with this most primitive method! When would the changes of the era truly arrive?
Yu Lian was quite helpless, but he estimated that the important figures on the Azure Princess were all fired up, and his own barbaric subordinates were also fired up. Hadn't he heard the continuous "Waaaah!" in the communication channel?
Yes, deciding the victory with a boarding action, while not conforming to his personal aesthetic, conformed to the aesthetic of everyone Present, except for him!
The Red Tiger, relying on its much better power condition than the opponent, avoided the bow light spear cannon's firing arc and began its final acceleration.
The two sides, while spitting at each other with their secondary cannons, finally collided. Of course, considering that collisions between warships would cause immense damage, the directorate remotely took over the ships' controls at the moment of impact, allowing the two ships to touch, and then conventionally declared the collision successful.
At that moment, Yu Lian even began to ponder whether ramming tactics in the era of space warfare had any meaning at all.
The more he pondered, the more he could feel the surging blood of the surrounding crew members, but the more passionate these people became, the more isolated he felt. Yu Lian suddenly felt a bit disheartened and sighed as he stood up.
"My armor!" he shouted, and after shouting, he felt even more out of character.
He now felt like a general from the cold weapon era, about to lead his subordinates in a final, desperate charge.
"It's ready!" Liu Li, however, waved excitedly, and several classmates pushed over an "Emblem Machine." To put it plainly, it was just a powered exoskeleton with sensors.
Yu Lian looked at the beautiful and vivid peony pattern painted on the front of the "Emblem Machine" and shivered, unable to resist glancing at Liu Li. If he remembered correctly, this girl was also a pretty good painter.
"A supreme commander must look the part." Liu Li said earnestly, "This is the family crest I designed for Yu Lian! Noble families use flowers as their family crests; it's cultural heritage!"
Are you Japanese the only ones like this?
At this moment, it would be great if someone carried a large flag. Just as Yu Lian thought this, he saw Zhi Xia actually pick up a flagpole from behind the captain's chair, unfurling the rolled-up flag, which strikingly depicted a large character "Yu."
Yu Lian felt as if he was being publicly executed, but the ship's companions were as if they had been injected with chicken blood.
But at this moment, they heard a message from the exercise directorate, informing them that the President wanted to speak with them.
Yu Lian frowned, instinctively feeling a physiological aversion. More importantly, being seen by others during a public execution would turn into a lifelong embarrassing history.
However, when the President's large head popped up on the light screen, he instantly switched to a stern and serious expression befitting an elite soldier.
"What a magnificent battle! Young people! Seeing you, I see the future of the Commonwealth and the Children of Blue Star! Now, only the final step remains for victory! I look forward to celebrating with you!"
President Nockham truly put on the act of a benevolent and kind elder, but unfortunately, his smile, the content of his speech, and his demeanor all seemed particularly cliché.
So, Yu Lian also forced a cliché smile and gave a cliché salute.
Fortunately, the President was immersed in his persona of "honoring the humble" and couldn't extricate himself, so he didn't notice that Yu Lian's smile was actually quite awkward.
He spoke for almost three minutes before cutting off the communication.
Thanks to him, Yu Lian felt that everyone's fighting spirit, which had been high just now, had now significantly decreased.
"Gongsun, Kou Shan, the rest is up to you!" Yu Lian said again.
Yu Lian actually naturally wanted to call out "Xiao Qing," but for some reason, just as he was about to speak, he felt an incredibly terrifying gaze fixed on his back, making him feel a bit of a chill down his spine.
He quickly put on his armor, adjusted to its performance, and instead of taking the two-meter-long greatsword next to him, he picked up two Z17 rifles, and then strode out of the bridge with an air of complete disregard.
He no longer needed to give orders here. Because Annie, piloting the Red Tiger, had finally maneuvered Past the enemy's main cannon's bow firing arc and accelerated to close the distance. Now, everyone on the bridge could clearly see the Blue Monarch's hull number with their naked eyes.
At the same moment, on the Azure Princess, Brigadier General Morey walked out of the central control room. Dozens of lean warriors in form-fitting power suits were guarding the door and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw him emerge.
"Report the situation!" Morey said expressionlessly.
"The security room has been brought under control! All one hundred security personnel have been killed! The engine room, navigation room, and energy room have also been occupied. Our personnel suffered no casualties!"
"Very good. You were in a dormant state and had to perform combat missions immediately after resuscitation, yet you managed to do so flawlessly! You truly live up to your reputation as the Military Police Executioner Unit, thank you!" Morey's stern voice seemed to contain a hint of warmth for the first time.
The black-clad soldiers exchanged glances, all a little overwhelmed for a moment.
"Thank you for the praise, Your Excellency! We are all special forces trained by your own hand, this is the expected performance!" The leading major gritted his teeth and added, "Your Excellency, Vice Admiral Wang, he..."
"Don't mind him. He is no longer an obstacle to us." Morey said.
Those Present exchanged glances but dared not ask further.
Morey scanned everyone and said in a low voice, "After today, we will be regarded as traitors by everyone. I hope you truly understand what you are doing, and then, make up your minds!"
The soldiers did not hesitate much. They immediately stood at attention and saluted, each looking solemn as if they were desperate warriors about to step onto a path of death.
"Everyone here trusts you wholeheartedly, Your Excellency! We are willing to follow you and rectify the nation! Even if it means walking into a dead end!"
Morey patted the major's shoulder, forced a stiff but sincere smile, and his cold tone contained a strange seductive power: "...Fifty years ago, Victory Li and his comrades were also considered traitors, but today, they are patriots! So, my comrades, you are not walking into a dead end!"