The T2 Ishkur-class Medium Interstellar Frigate's laser main cannon fired, the beam streaking straight for the Blizzard Zero planted in front of the T2 Queen Bee-class Heavy Carrier Starship.
Blizzard Zero's 1200mm-caliber cannon fired at very nearly the same instant.
And then—
—a huge fireball bloomed in the space between the T2 Ishkur-class Medium Interstellar Frigate and Blizzard Zero, the whirl of the blast forming ring upon ring of vapor.
The two attacks had, by sheer chance, collided head-on.
And canceled each other out.
Wasn't that a bit too coincidental?
Aboard Blizzard Zero, Zhao Chen knew full well: this ought to be the doing of the "fleet Luck-value bonus" the System had given him. That earlier single-shot kill of the T2 Ishtar-class Heavy Interstellar Destroyer was the same thing.
The odds of such things happening ran under one in ten thousand.
But under the aura of the "fleet Luck-value bonus," the odds of them all coming to pass were vastly increased.
By Zhao Chen's own testing, not every attack necessarily landed a single-shot kill, or achieved so superb an effect.
But the probability of it truly was enormous!
To return to the matter.
Zhao Chen gave the order at once. "Full-speed advance, target that T2 Ishkur-class Medium Interstellar Frigate!"
Blizzard Zero's speed climbed on the instant, reaching 100 star-knots in a mere few seconds.
"Five T2 medium Hyena laser cannons and 30 130mm T2 medium close-in turrets, fire with everything!"
Relying on its high mobility, Blizzard Zero soon closed right up around the T2 Ishkur-class Medium Interstellar Frigate, both ships' secondary guns firing at full power.
But against the high-speed Blizzard Zero, the T2 Ishkur-class Medium Interstellar Frigate's hit-rate was abysmal — while by comparison Blizzard Zero's secondary guns and close-in guns near enough landed every single shot!
They hammered ceaselessly at the T2 Ishkur-class Medium Interstellar Frigate's hull.
Boom.
The hull took a hit; a great crash sounded in Zhao Chen's ears, and the bridge deck rocked underfoot.
Report — our ship's port hull armor has taken cannon fire; hull armor strength at 90%.
Report — our ship's port hull armor has taken cannon fire; hull armor strength at 80%.
Report — our ship's port hull armor has taken cannon fire; hull armor strength at 70%.
This ought to count as the first time Blizzard Zero had taken fire — but with its interstellar-battleship hull armor to rely on, withstanding the secondary-gun fire of a single interstellar frigate was more than within its means.
The T2 Ishkur-class Medium Interstellar Frigate on the receiving end of Blizzard Zero's fire was in no such comfortable state; its hull was damaged in a great many places, cracks even beginning to show.
The T2 Ishkur-class Medium Interstellar Frigate could only wait for its laser main cannon to finish its reset and cooldown.
But just then, a trace of cold cruelty showed in Zhao Chen's eyes.
From the rear of Blizzard Zero's hull, three T2 Hornet-class Heavy Interstellar Drones leapt out.
At very close range from the T2 Ishkur-class Medium Interstellar Frigate, three interstellar torpedoes were dropped.
Because of its fierce exchange with Blizzard Zero a moment before, the great majority of this T2 Ishkur-class Medium Interstellar Frigate's weapons had entered their reset and cooldown, and it could do nothing to stop these three incoming T2 Hornet-class Heavy Interstellar Drones.
It could only watch, helpless, as the three interstellar torpedoes struck home — one on the bridge, one on the hull's belly, and one on the port flank where Blizzard Zero's secondary guns had battered it earlier.
Three balls of exploding fire bloomed around the T2 Ishkur-class Medium Interstellar Frigate, and then the ship broke into pieces and went down for good.
"Report — our T2 Ishkur-class Medium Interstellar Frigate, No. 2 ship… has gone down." The skinny adjutant reported this news to the bearded pirate captain, quaking as he spoke.
The bearded pirate captain slumped down in his captain's chair, his expression blank.
The moment he'd seen Blizzard Zero come killing its way over here, he'd sensed something was wrong.
It meant that the pirate ships over on that other battlefield had, in all likelihood, been wiped out to the last.
He looked at a data panel before him, on which was logged the information of every ship in his fleet.
Sure enough, at this moment the great majority of the ship icons had turned gray — above all those that had gone to attack Blizzard Zero.
Not a single survivor!
Among them the two T2 Ishtar-class Heavy Interstellar Destroyers and the T2 Ishkur-class Medium Interstellar Frigate.
Which meant that the Three-Clawed Serpent Interstellar Pirate fleet had left only the T2 Grey-Shark-class Medium Interstellar Cruiser — one lone T2 ship.
Beyond that, only four T1 Vulture-class Medium Interstellar Frigates and one T1 Blue-Sparrow-class Medium Interstellar Cruiser remained.
In numbers, true, the Three-Clawed Serpent Interstellar Pirate fleet still held a threefold advantage.
But in this situation, these interstellar pirates knew full well what awaited them.
Seeing that the T2 carrier starship and the T2 Blizzard Zero had both fixed their sights on them, in that moment their end was plain to see.
"Boss… let's… let's surrender," the skinny adjutant said gingerly.
Surrender?
The bearded pirate captain went still for a moment. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that this "assassination job" he'd thought a sure thing would end like this.
But there was no longer any meaning in fighting on.
These six remaining pirate ships being destroyed was only a matter of time.
"Contact that lordship the baron. We're willing to surrender," the bearded pirate captain murmured, all the spirit gone out of him.
An hour ago, how could the man have imagined that this moment would find him reduced to a beaten wretch begging surrender for his life?
"Captain, the enemy flagship's sent a comm — they're willing to lay down arms and surrender." Charlotte, aboard the T2 Queen Bee, asked Zhao Chen his view.
Zhao Chen said coldly, "We're willing to accept their surrender. But they must shut down every engine on their ships at once."
Charlotte hesitated a moment, but relayed Captain Zhao Chen's order all the same.
Before long, all six ships shut down their engines.
Aboard the darkened ships, the interstellar pirates all turned over in their minds what awaited them next.
Locked away in a dungeon?
Sold into slavery?
Or hauled off to some mining region, to spend a lifetime hacking ore out of the pits until death?
Whatever the case, at least for now they could go on living.
"Report — the enemy's six ships have shut down all engines," Charlotte reported.
And at that Zhao Chen suddenly gave an order that took everyone by surprise. "Blizzard Zero and the T2 Queen Bee-class Heavy Carrier Starship — attack the six remaining pirate ships at once, and destroy them immediately!"
He gazed coldly at those six pirate ships.
The moment they'd appeared here, their end had already been sealed.
Annihilation!