Chapter 216 Air Combat “Failure”
Thanks to the meticulous craftsmanship of Cangyuan’s Engineers and the powerful RCS simulation capabilities of the carbon-based supercomputer, the Chang’an boasts top-tier radar stealth for a ship of its class.
At a distance of 5 million kilometers, her radar cross-section was dust-level. The Punishment Fleet’s radar had indeed scanned the airspace where this warship was located, but the screen remained completely black, showing not even a ghost.
“102 reporting to 101, a nuclear explosion flash was seen in the direction of the wormhole space station. Those sons of bitches have already entered our star system!”
On the 102 Chang’an, Black Smoke, serving as the Captain, typed a report on the battle situation through the player community.
This type of communication, in addition to being lag-free, had the added benefit of not breaking electromagnetic silence, ensuring it would never be detected or intercepted by the enemy.
“Can you observe the enemy ships?”
On the 101 Xianyang, Xian Yu inquired.
“Once they start maneuvering, they’ll definitely be visible, you know.”
Sure enough, soon after, a light spot, not particularly bright but distinct enough from the cosmic background, appeared on the Chang’an’s infrared detection screen.
That was precisely the Punishment Fleet!
To be precise, it was 11 beams of nuclear flame emitted by the engines, blurred together due to insufficient resolution from the extreme distance.
As long as a warship’s engine is active, it will generate heat and appear in the infrared spectrum, shining like a torch in the dark.
For forces that have not mastered the secrets of Entropy Zero Element, this is an unalterable law of physics.
However, this law did not apply to the Chang’an.
This new warship was equipped with an Entropy Zero Element Furnace from Emerald Life Science, which was currently operating at full capacity, causing the ship to emit almost no infrared radiation.
Half a minute later, the red dot on the Chang’an’s screen suddenly accelerated, heading directly towards Li Star.
Black Smoke knew that the entire Punishment Fleet had completed its course adjustment and entered warp travel status.
“Xian Yu, can you see this message? The enemy has left the wormhole, you can come in now.”
“Received!”
Upon receiving the communication, the four second-hand warships that had been lurking outside the “Assassin” star system also began warp travel, rushing back to reinforce their “homeland.”
Although these warships were weaker, their crews were more thoroughly trained.
On the other side, the Punishment Fleet was originally scheduled to reach Li Star’s orbit in 12 hours, but when they had traveled about two-thirds of the way, an unexpected event occurred: all warships suddenly received dense communication signals.
“Mr. Gerald! There are signs of significant space fighter activity ahead! We’ve not only intercepted communications but also observed engine plumes!”
Gerald’s radar operator was the first to report the battle situation. “Understood. Can you confirm the model and quantity?”
“Yes! There are 20 of them. Judging by their flight performance and engine exhaust temperature, they must be the ‘Razor’ fighters Omar brought to this star system previously!”
“Razor” was the official name on the Star Alliance arms market for the batch of Apollo fighters Cangyuan had previously captured.
Although its firepower was weak, its maneuverability was decent, and its cost-effectiveness was acceptable.
“This is Xige. We also see those fighter groups. They are flying into the asteroid belt. We must follow them quickly!”
Galan’s fleet sent a message to Gerald.
“Vice Admiral Sige, I think we should be more cautious.”
“No, you don’t understand! My dear Gerald, this behavior is an instinct of weak barbarians. They naively believe that the few rocks in the asteroid belt can serve as cover, having no concept of the actual asteroid density!”
Even within a very “dense” asteroid belt, two celestial bodies are often tens of thousands of kilometers apart, and the material density is far lower than most people imagine.
The scenes in sci-fi movies and games where rocks of various sizes fill the view, requiring careful navigation and constant dodging, can usually only be seen within structures like Saturn’s rings and planetary rings.
Xige, as an educated officer, was not wrong about this point.
“Alright, Gerald, show some courage! I don’t want to hear you dampen everyone’s morale anymore.”
Gerald felt an inexplicable surge of anger.
If it weren’t for the fact that Galan had dispatched 8 warships this time, forming the main force of the Punishment, he might have burst into curses on the spot.
Although Xige’s attitude was arrogant, considering that Li Star’s indigenous resistance was indeed quite limited, he ultimately agreed to have the fleet change course mid-journey to prioritize eliminating the enemy’s air force, preventing any prolonged complications.
The Punishment Fleet, being composed entirely of warp-capable ships, quickly caught up to the players’ fighter group from behind. Then, all 11 warships simultaneously exited warp mode, and their hangar doors opened.
This time, Galan deployed its true carrier-based aircraft Main force, the “Thundercloud” medium fighters purchased from Paradise Island.
This was a star product on the Star Alliance arms market, and one of the most expensive medium-sized aircraft, known for its comprehensive attributes and large bomb load. It had two large bomb bays on either side of the fuselage and a 360-degree rotating twin laser turret on top of the fuselage.
Furthermore, its radar, maximum speed increment, and acceleration capabilities were also noteworthy.
“Tear them apart! For Galan, Galan forever!”
The 24 “Thundercloud” fighters opened their engines to maximum power, using the initial speed provided by the launching warships. The distance between them and the Cangyuan fighter group continuously shrank, and they were about to catch up.
Then, with the “Thundercloud” missiles as the signal, the air combat began.
In fairness, Galan’s elite pilots were not of low skill.
Even if their experience in bullying weaker opponents was meaningless, they all had at least a thousand flight hours. Coupled with the “Thundercloud’s” performance overwhelming the “Razor,” the player pilots quickly couldn’t hold on.
“I’m out of smart missiles, damn it—this remaining Gatling gun is just a candy dispenser, it can’t hit anything!”
“No, the enemy fighters’ acceleration and maximum speed exceed the Apollo smart missiles. After being locked by a missile, they just need to charge directly to escape! This is so unfair!”
“Their missiles are different from ours! They are missiles specialized in air combat, with exceptionally good flight performance. Everyone, please be careful.”
Despite using every trick in the book, the players still couldn’t do much against those 24 “Thundercloud” fighters.
“No, it’s unwinnable! Everyone, initiate Plan B!”
When the squad’s combat losses exceeded two-thirds, the remaining Cangyuan pilots began to retreat in a concentrated direction, according to the pre-arranged tactical plan.
“Chase them down!”
Seeing the significant advantage gained, Xige was highly excited. Galan’s fighter squadron did not disappoint him, and ten minutes later, the last “Razor” was shot down by a “Thundercloud” pursuing from behind.
The first battle of the campaign ended in a crushing victory for the Punishment Fleet!
At least, that’s how it appeared.
On the bridge of the 101 Xianyang, Lu Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the large screen displaying the real-time battlefield situation, appearing very calm.
Those who had just “died” were actually Cangyuan’s lowest-level pilots, who originally did not meet the conditions to participate in this fleet battle.
But Lu Yuan intentionally wanted them to experience real space warfare early, and also to complete some dangerous missions that required sacrificing their lives, leading the enemy to the ambush point he and his staff had jointly planned.
Suicidal tactics, can only you, Galan, use them?
Don’t be ridiculous.
Despite knowing that this battle would likely result in death, the low-level pilot players still eagerly accepted the mission.
Given Cangyuan’s current military scale and industrial capacity, “sacrificing” 20 Apollo fighters at the start was completely acceptable.
And for the players, the 24-hour death penalty was not particularly long either.
After going offline, they could boast in the community, then go to work as a corporate slave when it was time, sleep after returning home, and a new clone would be ready.
If you also factor in the “battle currency” obtained after participating in the event, it was simply a huge profit!
Who said the Executive Officer sent new recruits to their deaths?
This was clearly a new recruit benefit!
Currently, Lu Yuan could confirm that the sacrifice of the 20 rookie players was not in vain.
Because the Punishment Fleet’s fighter group was already very close to “that place.”