Completion rate updated: killed target figure "Zhang Haoran" — completion 5%.
Completion rate updated: destroyed one T3 warship — completion 10%.
The system prompts flashing through Zhao Chen's mind took him somewhat by surprise. The enemy fleet had, in fact, two T3 Arkham-class Medium Interstellar Battleships, and Zhao Chen hadn't known which one Zhang Haoran was aboard; he'd only known that Wan'er had set both Arkhams as attack targets. He hadn't imagined the fellow would be so unlucky — the first to meet disaster was the very warship he was on.
At the same time, the enemy fleet's other T3 warships were suffering the interstellar missiles' and torpedoes' assault too. Because the T3 Phantom Assassin-class Light Interstellar Stealth Bomber was so close to their ships, dodging was simply impossible; they could only swiftly shift their star shields' facing and hope their ships' own interception systems might bring down as much of the enemy fire as they could.
"Execute per the original plan. In five minutes: T2 Lion King-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship Number One delivers fire on the enemy's principal T2 warship targets. The T2 Queen Bee-class Heavy Carrier begins deploying interstellar drones, ready to seize interstellar air superiority and attack the enemy's T2 warships. The rest of the ships stand by for now," Zhao Chen said.
"Yes." Aili, beside him, began relaying the Commander's orders to the Owl Dragon Fleet's ships.
The missile silos aboard T2 Lion King Number One had finished opening; interstellar missile after interstellar missile stood ready to launch at any instant. And in the ship's targeting system, close to 100 of the enemy fleet's T2 warships had already been fixed as fire-strike targets.
At this moment, Han Tianwang and the rest still had their attention on that stealth bomber that had suddenly appeared in the center of their own fleet.
"Damn it! How is there a T3 stealth bomber here in our array!" Han Tianwang railed.
Perhaps by good luck, the T3 Venomous Scorpion-class Medium Interstellar Cruiser Han Tianwang was aboard lay at a rather distant position, and hadn't been locked as one of the stealth bomber's targets. But another of Zhao Chen's "old friends" — the Fire Salamander chieftain — wasn't so fortunate. His T3 Arkham, which had faced off with the Owl Dragon Fleet once before, had, like the other, already-fallen Arkham, been locked as an attack target. But he fared far better than that fool Zhang Haoran: the very first instant, he'd ordered the star shield's facing adjusted, set his ship's interception system online, and had the T1 and T2 warships nearest him intercept those torpedoes and missiles at any cost — so that some ships used their very bodies as shields.
So the T3 Arkham the chieftain was aboard still took part of the attack — of 30 torpedoes in all, 15 struck home; the rest were either intercepted or blocked by the shield shifted in time. Of three T3 short-range heavy anti-ship missiles, one was intercepted, and one was blocked by a T2 cruiser that flung its hull in the way heedless of itself, becoming a ball of fire. Of three short-range heavy cluster bombs, one was intercepted; the remaining two struck the T3 Arkham.
"Warning! Port hull armor under attack — port hull armor overall strength at 31%! Armor pierced in part; 16 compartments breached and sealed in emergency; 38 soldiers dead."
"Warning! Star shield under attack — star-shield energy at 53%."
"Warning! The ship's upper hull under area fire strike — hull armor overall strength at 41%."
"Warning! Rear hull under attack — a section pierced; three compartments breached and sealed in emergency; 22 soldiers dead; the three secondary guns at that position destroyed."
"Warning! Fault in the hull energy-supply system — energy supply down 30%."
"Warning! Faults in multiple weapon modules!"
The T3 Arkham that had, by luck, not fallen was in a dreadful state all the same — the whole ship as if just dragged out of a scrap heap. Everywhere were the ravages of attack: fire, smoke, and blast after blast without cease. Had the chieftain not shut off the bridge alarms, they'd likely have deafened him.
"Fight back! Young Master Han, fight back, quick!" the chieftain shouted over the fleet's comms command system — the system that served to link and coordinate the various powers.
By now Han Tianwang had already issued the order for an all-out attack on that T3 stealth bomber. "Take out this accursed stealth bomber for me!" Han Tianwang ordered every ship unit that could bring fire to bear on this T3 stealth bomber. In an instant, nearly every main gun, secondary gun, and interstellar missile of every ship in this area trained on that T3 stealth bomber!
For a moment, it was as though the heavenly-maiden-scattering-blossoms scene of before played in reverse. Countless attacks began falling on this T3 stealth bomber. At that intensity of fire, even a T3 battlecruiser stationed here couldn't have withstood it! After all, a T3 warship's shield guarded only one direction, and the other attacks were bound to land on its hull. And as everyone knew, a T3 stealth bomber, for better stealthy travel, generally had a light-frame hull structure, rather poor on defense. It simply couldn't endure a wave of assault like this.
Han Tianwang, watching the display window just as that T3 stealth bomber was about to be blanketed in fire—
Those attacks were, of all things, wholly "blocked"! At some distance still from the T3 stealth bomber, they detonated one after another — as though a wall stood barring them. For a moment the scene was like a sky full of "fireworks," setting off that T3 stealth bomber in their midst.
Han Tianwang strode quickly forward, staring fixedly at the scene in the video window. He saw, of all things, a layer of crystal-clear energy shielding!
"How is this possible!" Han Tianwang's eyes went round, disbelieving.
And disbelieving at this moment, too, were the other fleets' commanders. All of them stared at this T3 stealth bomber; they'd all seen that unbelievable sight just now. And on close inspection of that layer of energy shielding, they grasped what had happened.
This T3 stealth bomber had, goddamn it, mounted a T4-grade all-around star shield! A shield that could ward off attacks incoming from every direction — and far, far exceeding a T3-grade shield system in quality and strength.
"Zhao Chen…" Han Tianwang, expression frozen, murmured the name of that man. Mounting a T4-grade shield on a T3 warship — how in the world had the fellow done it?