"Cadet Zhao Chen, why the sudden interest in this?" Vice-Dean Hong asked, curious.
Zhao Chen laughed. "It's nothing; I was just curious how my sister managed her grade-skip back then."
"Ah, is that all. Your sister's gifts are indeed astonishing; with more cultivation and more real combat experience banked, she'll surely become an outstanding fleet commander!" What Vice-Dean Hong said was fleet commander, not ship captain.
Enough to show how highly the academy prized Zhao Wan'er's gifts.
"Come to think of it, Cadet Zhao Chen's gifts are no small thing either. A pity you chose the wrong major; to assemble, by your own ability alone, three aged ships into a single new assembled ship, and to beat a T2 Bald Eagle-class Light Interstellar Cruiser besides — that's truly remarkable. If Cadet Zhao Chen were willing, I could help you change your major, transfer to the starship-engineering technology track." Vice-Dean Hong offered.
"I'm more interested in piloting and commanding ships," Zhao Chen said, declining Vice-Dean Hong's kind offer.
Time soon passed, better than half an hour.
An interstellar battlecruiser sailed slowly into the starship duel arena.
Everyone watched this interstellar battlecruiser.
Vice-Dean Hong beside him spoke up. "The T2 Purple-Rose-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruiser — a T2 ship the Hurricane Conglomerate researched and released in recent years. A medium ship though it is, its firepower and armor strength are in no way inferior to a heavy ship of the same type. In the earlier duel, though the T2 Fire-Crow-class Heavy Interstellar Battlecruiser was a same-tier ship, there was still a wide gap in performance. As far as I know, the T2 Purple-Rose's price runs as high as 11 million star coins."
"11 million star coins? Good heavens — that price is enough to buy a T2 interstellar battleship or a T2 carrier starship!" Li Wei was startled.
Vice-Dean Hong shook his head with a light laugh. "It's a ship built purely on piled-up wealth — extremely poor value for money. So in truth, hardly anyone actually buys this class. But because of its gorgeous hull construction, it's a symbol for noble young ladies; generally it's just these noble misses willing to buy so costly, so poor-value, yet so pretty a ship. You should know Zhao Wan'er's T2 Fire-Crow was priced at only under 8 million star coins — a gap of near 50%."
Watching the feed relayed back by the drones, this T2 Purple-Rose's hull construction was indeed lovely; there were even patterns of purple roses etched into the hull armor.
At a glance one might take it for a work of art.
"But set against Cadet Zhao Chen's Blizzard Zero, the odds of winning should still lie with Blizzard Zero." Just as Vice-Dean Hong was speaking—
—into the arena's broadcast feed came a very "mini" round ship, appearing before every eye.
"What ship is that? How is it breaking the rules, entering the duel grounds without leave!" Vice-Dean Hong frowned, most displeased at such a lapse of management.
"That's the ship my sister's piloting." But Zhao Chen, at his side, dropped a word that raised 1,000 waves.
Xue Xiaoxiao and Li Wei stared at Zhao Chen, dumbfounded.
Vice-Dean Hong was a long while frozen, then said in surprise, "Cadet Zhao Chen… if… if I'm not mistaken, that should be an interstellar frigate…"
"A T2 Black-Rhino-class Interstellar Heavy-Assault Frigate," Zhao Chen said, giving the class's name.
But the onlookers cared nothing for whether it was Black-Rhino or no; all they knew was that this was an interstellar frigate.
"Hahaha — look, quick, that's the Northstar Starship Military Academy's ship — an interstellar frigate, of all things!"
"A frigate dueling a battlecruiser — have the Northstar students got engine oil for brains?"
"If you don't want to win, just say so; must you go inviting your own humiliation? I'm going to die laughing."
Seeing this, the Heaven's Glory Noble Starship Military Academy students all doubled over laughing, and set to hurling word after word at the Northstar Starship Military Academy students, their chief target of course still Zhao Chen.
Though they only dared shout from a distance — this fellow, after all, had a moment ago dared to strike people outright.
The Northstar Starship Military Academy students, one and all, wore faces as though they'd eaten dung, their looks truly ugly.
They stared at Zhao Chen in bewilderment.
They'd assumed that Zhao Chen, sending his sister into battle, had readied that Blizzard Zero.
And the ship that took the field was, of all things, a T2 interstellar frigate.
"Zhao Chen… you… this…" Li Wei gulped; he didn't even know how to counsel his friend anymore — ever since Blizzard Zero, the man's doings had been past anyone's power to predict.
"Just watch." Zhao Chen folded his arms, a slight curve at the corner of his mouth.
His reason for arranging the T2 Black-Rhino was one he'd settled on long before.
As for the other side's ship — on the way over Zhao Chen had checked the starship-duel records, and knew it was a T2 Purple-Rose, and knew the weapon system it carried.
10 T2-grade dual-mounted 200mm medium railguns were its main weapon system, able to fire once every 30 seconds.
The railgun was a non-ballistic weapon, using electromagnetic technology to accelerate a metal shell.
Its rate of fire was quick, and within the accurate range its hit-rate was extremely high — but lacking any guidance function, once past the extreme range its accuracy plunged.
So a ship carrying this type needed the ability to keep a close engagement distance to the enemy.
Generally it was fitted on interstellar cruisers and interstellar frigates.
And this T2 Purple-Rose's railgun firepower, against an ordinary T2-tier ship, counted as quite good — a ship built at a cost of 11 million star coins, after all.
Only, this time it faced the T2 Black-Rhino.
Even had all its fire landed on a single patch of hull armor, it would need a full 20 minutes of precise shelling to do that patch of armor serious harm.
10 minutes…
Never mind whether so precise a coincidence would even occur — the T2 Black-Rhino would hardly grant it 20 minutes.
At this moment the T2 Purple-Rose and the T2 Black-Rhino soon reached their appointed battle positions; set the two ships' sizes side by side—
—and it was, quite simply, the small witch before the great.
The T2 Purple-Rose ran a full 310 meters in length; and the T2 Black-Rhino?
110 meters, and a half-ovoid, rhinoceros-form hull at that.
"A little ship like that — not even a patch on Blizzard Zero's giant gun." Xue Xiaoxiao couldn't help grumbling beside him; not only had she not seen her cherished giant gun, it was this little thing besides — she was most displeased.
Zhao Chen said, "Big isn't always best; hard enough matters too."