Completion rate updated: destroyed one T3 warship — completion 15%.
Completion rate updated: destroyed one T3 warship — completion 20%.
Completion rate updated: destroyed one T3 warship — completion 25%.
Because Zhao Wan'er's T3 Phantom Assassin-class Light Interstellar Stealth Bomber had destroyed four T3 warships — plus one Zhang Haoran, off to collect his box lunch — Zhao Chen's task-completion rate had already reached 25%!
And once it was confirmed the T3 Phantom Assassin had begun to withdraw, T2 Lion King-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship Number One at once opened its fire strike.
The wolf-girl Baixue, serving as captain of Lion King Number One, tapped away without pause at the virtual operating interface before her — the interstellar-missile target-locking interface. There was a crew member specially charged with this part on the bridge, but she still liked the feel of handling it herself. Ever since the last time she'd ordered the T2 Lion King to deliver a fire strike, she'd found she seemed to have taken a liking to this feeling — the delicious thrill of watching enemy ships destroyed beneath her own ferocious fire. Volley after volley of interstellar missiles fired out, exploding across region after region of the enemy fleet, throwing up sheets of flame. That feeling… it set the wolf-girl Baixue's ears standing straight up, her tail swishing without cease, her very breathing grown a good deal heavier. This feeling… was too good!
T3 Blizzard — Bridge
Zhao Chen stared at the data page before him. At the top were the 10 T3 warships. Four of them had turned gray — meaning they'd fallen; two more were red — meaning their hulls were gravely crippled. Below were the 800 T2 warships. Under a single round of the T2 Lion King's fire, in the space of a few short minutes, close to 50 T2 warships were scrapped outright into wreckage. Another 50-odd T2 warships had taken hull damage, and over 100 T1 warships were caught in the crossfire.
Having weathered this round of the T2 Lion King's bombardment, Han Tianwang's fleet pressed on with its advance. He firmly believed Zhao Chen's two trump cards were already spent; the stealth bomber's appearance might have been beyond his expectations, but on that one T3 warship alone, the situation surely couldn't be turned around. Zhao Chen's remaining trump card was nothing but that T3 Blizzard. He still had 3,000 warships; under this wave of charge, could Zhao Chen's Owl Dragon Fleet possibly survive? Victory, in the end, was still his!
"Report — the enemy fleet is beginning to withdraw to the rear." the deputy captain reported. On the ship radar, one could see the dozen-odd warships opposite slowly retreating.
"Want to run? Not a chance — today's the day you die, Zhao Chen!" Han Tianwang said, his face savage.
The Owl Dragon Fleet's retreat wasn't very fast; Han Tianwang's coalition fleet behind bit down hard, and had begun its counterattack. But with 10 T2 Black Rhino-class Interstellar Heavy Assault Frigates guarding them, and the T2 Queen Bee-class Heavy Carrier's own star shield, there was, for the moment, no great danger.
And by now the interstellar drones and fighters the two sides had deployed had clashed together. Han Tianwang's fleet had two T2 carriers, which had launched 50 interstellar fighters and 300 interstellar drones in all. Interstellar fighters and interstellar drones had always been a carrier's two great weapons. The former could carry out varied combat missions and face all manner of complex situations, and being larger, mounted more weapons. The latter could be committed to the battlefield swiftly and needed no pilot — which meant that a drone's destruction cost no lives. Each had its strengths and weaknesses.
But the true star of this interstellar dogfight was fated to be the T2 Queen Bee's drone swarm! First to arrive were 200 T2 Baby Bee-class Light Interstellar Drones and 100 T2 Killer Bee-class Medium Interstellar Drones; the 20 T2 Hornet-class Heavy Interstellar Drones that followed hung to the rear; their target was the enemy fleet's ships behind. The T2 Baby Bees and T2 Killer Bees displayed astonishing combat power and coordination, all but a crushing slaughter of the enemy's fighters and drones. The exchange ratio reached five to one! Which was to say — for every one drone the T2 Queen Bee lost, the enemy had to pay the price of five!
While these fighters and drones fought it out, the 20 T2 Hornet-class Heavy Interstellar Drones, under cover of some of the drones, began driving deep into the enemy fleet. The enemy fighters and drones caught in the dogfight had no power at all to stop them. And more important — those Hornet-class heavy drones' target seemed to be the enemy fleet's two T2 carriers! Zhao Chen meant to seize the interstellar air superiority of this battle wholly into his own hands.
"Relay my order to that little green snake. In 10 minutes, strike from the enemy fleet's rear — a slashing attack driven clean through the enemy fleet, at any cost!" Zhao Chen had Aili beside him relay this order.
"Yes." Aili went to contact the Snake-folk's 500 warships.
As the fighting wore on, Han Tianwang's fleet had gradually taken shape as a half-encircling formation of annihilation. Once Zhao Chen's fleet was surrounded, the outcome could well be imagined.
Zhao Chen looked at Charlotte beside him, at strict readiness; she'd returned to her battle station. Zhao Chen spoke. "You're certain you want to carry out that battle plan? You could choose a safer way, you know."
Charlotte said firmly, "On the battlefield, profit and risk go together. Only by doing it this way can we defeat the enemy at the smallest loss. Please, Commander — trust me!"
Zhao Chen smiled faintly. "In that case, then go and do it, boldly and with your mind at ease."
"For the sake of the Commander's safety, I request that the Commander move to the T2 Queen Bee-class Heavy Carrier!" Charlotte requested.
Zhao Chen looked at Charlotte; he knew what she meant — she was thinking of his safety.
"Do you take me for the sort of commander who, at a whiff of danger, turns coward and tucks himself away somewhere safe? Since you've resolved to do it this way, then I'll be right here, watching you. I will always stand with my soldiers!" Zhao Chen's tone brooked no doubt.
Charlotte blinked, then showed a slight smile — and that little tiger fang of hers. "Then please hold on tight, Commander."
Zhao Chen knew: this little tiger of his was about to floor it!