Chapter 222: Please Let Me Go!
The “thundercloud” fighter jets, which the Galan people were so proud of, felt the generational gap crushing them for the first time.
Whenever they locked onto an “owl” and launched their fairly capable air-to-air missiles, the latter would directly enter warp flight mode, relying purely on its speed to detonate the missile, quickly breaking the lock and turning it into a useless space iron rod.
Afterward, the “owl” would briefly exit warp flight, make a rapid 180-degree turn with a massive overload approaching 30G, then re-engage warp and return like a sudden counterattack, striking once and leaving.
If the “thundercloud” continued to launch missiles, they would repeat this step until all of the opponent's missiles were exhausted.
The tactic was very simple and crude, but also extremely effective.
The players of the First Air Squadron had an average level exceeding 15.
Their higher physique attributes, combined with the additional anti-overload capability provided by the 【Partial Blood Supply】 skill, were the basis for their frequent use of this tactical maneuver.
Upon discovering that the enemy's heavy fighter jets were all equipped with expensive warp engines and that their pilots' physiques were almost “superhuman,” Galan's elite pilots immediately broke out in cold sweat, losing their former confidence and arrogance.
Due to their lack of experience facing truly strong enemies, they became incredibly nervous and timid, unable to fully exert themselves, afraid to make maneuvers, and even formed dense formations, hoping to increase their firepower density in this way, boost their morale, and scare off the enemy!
A series of idiotic operations completely turned the aircraft group into living targets in the players' eyes.
To be fair, the Apollo smart missiles equipped on the “owl” were actually quite weak, with insufficient range and low flight speed.
But the performance of the fighter jet itself made up for this shortcoming!
The 12 “owls” were like true raptors, repeatedly activating their warp engines, using high-frequency short-range “jumps” to tear apart the “thundercloud” aircraft group, which outnumbered them two to one but had become as clumsy as hens after suffering setbacks.
Because of its massive size, the “owl” had a very strong reactor power generation capacity, resulting in higher power for its radar and laser cannons, allowing it to lock onto enemies earlier than the “thundercloud” and achieve destruction sooner, giving it air superiority.
In contrast, the “thundercloud” could only fly together, retaliating with the twin laser turret on its back, which had an energy level one order of magnitude lower.
When the lasers fired from this turret diffused and hit the surface of the “owl,” their power was often insufficient to burn through the armor and cause effective damage in a short time.
Not to mention that many times they couldn't even hit accurately!
Like other types of Galan fighter jets, the “thundercloud” was also a two-seater with dual pilots.
The original intention of this setup was to allow more aristocratic air force scions to accumulate military merits through bullying weaker opponents in actual combat, thereby burnishing their resumes and suppressing the mid-to-low-ranking civilian officers who had fought their way up through sheer ability.
Specifically for the “thundercloud” model, the dual-pilot configuration actually offered an additional advantage in actual combat: the weapon operator in the rear seat could independently operate the dorsal laser turret, reducing the burden on the main pilot in the front.
However, Galan is Galan, and it always manages to provide unexpected surprises when it comes to not doing serious business.
At this moment, among their 24 fighter jets, 8 of the rear seats were occupied not by soldiers, but by film and television professionals accompanying the army!
Their mission, surprisingly, was to film a campaign commercial for the esteemed Prime Minister Nadi!
The First Air Squadron was unaware of this rather bizarre arrangement; they just found it a bit strange.
The turrets of a few of those fighter jets seemed very unresponsive, firing completely randomly, with very amateurish technique.
Within three minutes after these 8 “thunderclouds” were first shot down, another 7 were eliminated.
Not a single “owl” on the players' side was shot down; three were damaged by laser beams, but not critically, and they promptly activated warp to disengage from the battle.
Upon discovering their own fighter jets being rapidly shot down, the Galan side released their remaining 7 carrier-based aircraft, forming the last line of defense.
On the Apollo side, three warships also released 12 fighter jets in a state of near collapse, intending to make a final stand.
Just then, Cangyuan's second-tier pilots, flying 9 “International Brand” fighter jets previously purchased from Hugh, 8 “Razor” light fighter jets, and 15 self-produced “bóláo niǎo” light fighter jets, arrived from their pre-arranged ambush points to assist in the battle.
An aerial dogfight with forces of 41:28 then unfolded.
Although the Cangyuan pilots from these first and second tiers did not have as many actual flight hours as the Galan pilots, most of them had accumulated at least 3,000 hours of simulated flight game experience before playing “Star Ocean.”
Strictly speaking, their training volume was not low.
Coupled with appropriate tactics, high morale, and home-field advantage, among other factors, this final aerial battle quickly turned into a one-sided slaughter.
The players initially maintained discipline and restraint, but later, seeing victory assured, they finally couldn't hold back and began performing difficult, fancy maneuvers, with the channel filled with excited shouts and screams.
Lu Yuan did not stop this behavior, letting everyone have a blast.
Pilots, after all, should be a bit wild and uninhibited; they need a proper amount of freedom for self-expression!
Finally, because they recognized the overall good performance of the “thundercloud,” the First Air Squadron specifically captured several of these medium-sized fighter jets.
The specific method was close-range dogfighting, adjusting the laser beam's power to the 'damage' setting, precisely destroying the enemy aircraft's engines and attitude control thrusters, burning out their 'buttholes,' completely paralyzing them, and causing them to slide uncontrollably at a constant speed in space.
Cangyuan loves peace, but whenever a battle is fought, there must be substantial gains! This is an unwritten company internal rule!
The captured Galan fighter pilots did not feel disappointment, unwillingness, or anger after being humiliated; instead, they felt a sense of relief.
Because they knew they could at least survive.
It wasn't until they completely relaxed that these 'elites' and even 'heroes' of everyday life realized their bodies were uncontrollably trembling, and their pants were already soaking wet between their legs.
At this point, the Joint Punishment Fleet's warships could not win a direct frontal confrontation, and air superiority was completely lost.
The outcome of this fleet battle was no longer in doubt.
Vice Admiral Sige collapsed on the spot and, without discussing with other officers or staff, immediately raised a white flag to surrender.
“Calling the ‘Cangyuan’ Fleet, this is the supreme commander of the Joint Punishment Fleet, Galan Navy Vice Admiral. Our side seeks an end to the war and can surrender unconditionally!”
“Sir, I am a Galan military noble, with a prominent family background, and I can be exchanged for a large ransom. Please don't kill me! I am more useful alive than dead!”
“Xige! You good-for-nothing!!”
Gerald punched the captain's console in anger, smashing a liquid crystal screen and almost fracturing his hand bone.
“What kind of supreme commander are you? I tell you, you, like all other self-important Galan people, are nothing but a pile of stinking cow dung! Mr. Sang must have been blind to partner with you! Keep fighting!!”
Xige remained silent, offering no response.
Then, the most dramatic scene on the battlefield unfolded.
Xige’s flagship, the ‘Shiva,’ silently rotated its electromagnetic gun turret, aiming its muzzle at Gerald. Then, without hesitation, it fired. Gerald’s flagship was immediately heavily damaged by the gunfire, losing power on the spot.
“That was my sincerity just now, Commander of Cangyuan – our side seeks an end to the war, unconditional surrender! I am a Galan military noble, with a prominent family background, and I can be exchanged for a large ransom –”
Xige's voice trembled as he mechanically repeated his previous words.
The players didn't understand this maneuver, but they all expressed profound shock.
In this universe, there were actually such a despicable group of people!
