Everyone in the hall kept their eyes fixed on the 60 points of light upon the interstellar holo-table.
Because both sides were interstellar destroyers, this showdown, too, had no particularly special tactics or maneuvers to it. Both sides had adopted a combat formation akin to the "line-ahead long-snake array." All 30 interstellar warships traveled swiftly along a single plane, which ensured that, the very instant they met the enemy's ships, all 30 warships could deliver a fire-strike upon the foe at the first moment.
"10 more minutes, and the warships of both sides will enter engagement range!" Feng Dawei said in a low, heavy voice.
Feng Xiaowei said quietly beside him, "Our T2 Hyena is the finest T2 interstellar destroyer there is — we're certain to win! And then we'll grind that whatever-it's-called Northern Goose Group's face into the dirt!" As he spoke, Feng Xiaowei even shot a glance at that Li Yaqi opposite — and it had to be said, this woman was quite good-looking; perhaps, once her face had been ground into the dirt, he might yet have a chance to get his hands on her and have himself some fun.
Chairman Feng Weihao said nothing; just now his gaze was all on this ship battlefield. Nor was it he alone — the hearts of everyone in the hall were fastened on this ship battle too.
Before long, in the view from a battlefield-broadcast drone, the destroyers of both sides were already within one frame together — only, as tiny little dots. But this meant both sides were about to enter the other's range of fire.
The weapon systems of the 30 T2 Tibetan Mastiff-class Medium Interstellar Destroyers were the first to act. Each T2 Tibetan Mastiff's twin-linked medium pulse-laser main gun opened the assault first, 60 pulse-lasers locking onto their targets.
Fire!
"That range! It actually outreaches the T2 Hyena's!" an audience member cried out in astonishment. Never underestimate this attack — a mere few dozen seconds earlier though it might be; on the battlefield, those bare few dozen seconds of first-strike could well seize the initiative of the whole engagement.
"How can this be? Our laser main gun is already the most advanced T2-grade laser main gun there is!" Feng Dawei found it rather hard to believe.
And it was under that disbelieving gaze of his—
that the 60 pulse-lasers first struck the six T2 Hyenas opposite! On average, every 10 pulse-lasers locked onto a single T2 Hyena! Though the T2 Hyenas quickly went to intercept and defend, their interception rate was a pitiful 15%. And as those pulse-lasers struck the hulls of these six T2 Hyenas, one explosive fireball after another appeared in their wake.
The first fallen warship was thereby born — no, it should be said, three! Three T2 Hyenas were reduced outright to blazing fireballs! The three T2 Hyenas numbered 011, 012, and 019 had their bow armor blasted to ruin, whereupon a great explosion erupted across the whole bow section, and they lost the ability to fight. The two T2 Hyenas numbered 029 and 007, though they didn't fall on the spot, had — on account of the attacks they'd suffered — their bridges damaged and their control systems broken, so that the whole warship went out of control and could not fight for the time being. The T2 Hyena numbered 022 was in slightly better shape; it neither fell nor lost control, but its main gun and several of its secondary-gun positions were all destroyed, and multiple "craters" had appeared on its hull armor besides. Its combat power had plummeted! And should it fight on, its falling was only a matter of time!
The battle had barely been joined, and the Hurricane Conglomerate had already, first off, lost three T2 Hyenas, with three more gravely crippled.
Feng Dawei clenched his fists; he was waiting — waiting for the counterattack of his own T2 Hyenas… He consoled himself inwardly that this was only the beginning; that once they entered the T2 Hyena's engagement range, the situation would surely undergo a heaven-overturning change.
Soon the remaining T2 Hyenas sailed into their range of fire, and now it was their turn to attack. But set against the T2 Tibetan Mastiff's twin-linked medium pulse-laser main gun a moment ago, the T2 Hyena's medium pulse-laser main gun was, in truth, somewhat not worth the looking at. And most important of all, the T2 Tibetan Mastiff's defense system's showing once again struck everyone with wonder. Facing the enemy ships' attack, the T2 Tibetan Mastiff's 30 medium twin-linked point-defense guns at once entered a combat state and began intercepting the incoming pulse-lasers. One enemy pulse-laser after another was cut off midway, leaving only fleeting "clusters of light," gone in a flash. The interception rate reached a terrifying 60% outright!
What did that mean? It meant that of the T2 Hyenas' 30 pulse-laser attacks, only 12 successfully struck their targets. And of the several T2 Tibetan Mastiffs that were hit, only one had its hull pierced and a secondary gun damaged — yet even it did not lose its ability to fight. As for the other T2 Tibetan Mastiffs, they hadn't so much as had their hull armor breached; there were merely a few gashes opened upon the hull armor.
At this moment, everyone in the hall fell into utter silence. Though the battle had gone on for less than three minutes, everyone seemed already to have seen the ending. In their weapon systems and their interception-defense systems, the two warships differed by no small amount. Though before, judged from the data, it had been a mere few percentage points — once that was set upon the battlefield, it was a difference of heaven and earth! It was a wholly real, wholly concrete crushing on the field of battle!
Over on the Hurricane Conglomerate's side, the three father-and-sons all wore grim faces now, and did not say another word. Chairman Feng Weihao placed both hands over his face and no longer looked at the battlefield broadcast at all. Feng Dawei, his eyes shot through with blood, his body trembling, watched that scene upon the battlefield — he truly did not wish to believe this scene. And Feng Xiaowei looked utterly stricken, his soul as good as fled, muttering ceaselessly under his breath: Impossible… this is impossible… they must have cheated…
The battle went on. The warships of both sides went on closing the distance, and now it was the turn of the two sides' secondary guns to open fire. The T2 Hyena was equipped with four medium electronic rapid-fire secondary guns; the T2 Tibetan Mastiff, meanwhile, was equipped with six! Though it was a difference of only two, once it truly came to trading blows, everyone clearly felt the gap between the two — in firepower, in rate of fire, in accuracy!
One T2 Hyena-class Medium Interstellar Destroyer after another, under the ceaseless bombardment, fell in succession. And it was not until the 10-minute mark that a single T2 Tibetan Mastiff-class Medium Interstellar Destroyer, set upon and surrounded by several enemy ships, was at last destroyed and fell. Yet at this very moment, the T2 Hyenas destroyed had already reached 10!
The outcome of this ship battle was, by now, exceedingly plain. But the Hurricane Conglomerate's three father-and-sons held off and held off from conceding defeat; they simply could not bring themselves to speak the words. And the falling, one after another, of the T2 Hyenas that came next seemed also to stand for this: that the era belonging to the T2 Hyena-class Medium Interstellar Destroyer had been brought to its end.
The Northern Goose Group's T2 Tibetan Mastiff-class Medium Interstellar Destroyer!
At this moment — was crowned king!