Chapter 143: Dancing on the Knife's Edge

The sixteen beams of light sliced through the mother ship swarm, obliterating multiple insectoid vessels in a single strike. A T3-class mother ship's bio-shield shattered, the beam piercing through it and then two additional T2 ships behind it. Each shot penetrated the fleet like skewers, cleaving through ship after ship.

In just five minutes, the Hurricane's main and secondary cannons had unleashed a barrage that decimated nearly a hundred mother ships. With the rapid-fire close-defense cannons maintaining a continuous assault, the destruction count kept rising. But even at this pace, against three thousand mother ships, it felt like a drop in the ocean.

Insectoid mother ships fearlessly swarmed the Hurricane, aiming to drain its starshield through kamikaze attacks. Meanwhile, T2 and T1 ships bombarded it with bio-plasma shots, which the starshield held off.

"Alert! Hurricane starshield at 95%... 92%... 87%... 82%..."

Watching the ever-growing number of mother ships surrounding the Hurricane, Feng Mo calmly issued his next command.

"Charge the quasi-T5 star destroyer cannon. Switch to beam mode."

Unlike conventional cannons, the star destroyer cannon offered two modes. One was a single-shot laser blast, while beam mode allowed sustained fire by channeling continuous energy, as long as the charge held.

"Commander, the quasi-T5 star destroyer cannon is fully charged. Awaiting orders!"

"Fire! Tear open a path through the swarm!"

The cannon unleashed a massive orange beam, obliterating every mother ship in its path, T1, T2, or even T3. The beam sliced through the dense swarm, creating a widening gap in the blanket of ships.

The bio-shields of these insectoid ships might as well have been paper, shredding as the Hurricane punched through the swarm's formation, escaping its encirclement.

In the Hurricane's observation lounge, the cadets watched intently as the ship's cannons tore through mother ships, saw the swarm closing in, and then witnessed the orange beam cutting an escape path. Their disbelief and awe grew with each attack.

"Just now, that orange beam wasn't a regular T4 main cannon," their instructor explained, "it was a quasi-T5 star destroyer cannon. These cannons aren't available for production or sale in the Federation. Duke Feng Mo acquired this one through a private auction."

Gu Yanyan's friend nudged her and whispered, "Your Brother Feng Mo is incredible! If you don't act fast, other women will swoop in. You're at a disadvantage on your own. But if we join forces as besties, think about the advantage!"

Gu Yanyan blushed, giving her friend a light smack. "You're getting bolder every day!"

After firing the quasi-T5 star destroyer cannon, the Hurricane's main and secondary weapons went into cooldown, leaving only the close-defense cannons to handle the remaining threats. The heavy cannons' caliber and power extended cooldown times, a tradeoff for their devastating impact.

Breaking through the encirclement, the Hurricane spotted the Black Knight Fleet, locked in a battle with the outer edge of the swarm. The fleet's mixed T4 and T3 ships were powerful against the T1 and T2 mother ships, but sheer numbers kept them on the defensive. Without specialized ships like missile cruisers, they couldn't mount an effective offensive, especially lacking a T3 Bruiser to launch guided barrages.

"Alert: Hurricane starshield at 64%."

Feng Mo sighed at how quickly the shield was being drained. Though they'd destroyed nearly two hundred mother ships, the endless swarm was taking its toll.

Insectoid forces, devoid of independent thought, blindly obeyed higher-ranking mother ships. High-grade mother ships commanded absolute loyalty, sending lower-ranked ships to their deaths without hesitation. The insectoid hierarchy allowed them to overwhelm superior forces with sheer numbers.

The Federation's four empires had a technological edge over the insectoids, but lacked unity, whereas the insectoids acted with single-minded purpose under their queens. The strength of unified, focused force against divided power was plain to see.

"This won't work; it's too slow. As long as the mother ships keep Z227 surrounded, they'll keep sending more insectoid forces to the surface. Just one quasi-T5 ship isn't enough," Feng Mo muttered. "Han Peipei, how soon will Mello's team arrive?"

"Twelve minutes, sir," she replied.

"Good. Patch me through to the Black Knight Fleet."

The feed connected, and Feng Mo spoke directly to Colonel Cheng Xianqing.

"Colonel Cheng, reinforcements are twelve minutes out. In that time, we need the Black Knight Fleet and the Hurricane to hold the line and create an opening for our bombers. I'll need to assume command of your fleet. Do you accept?"

Without hesitation, Cheng Xianqing snapped to attention. "Duke Feng Mo, the Black Knight Fleet stands ready to follow your orders!"

Feng Mo noted Cheng's quick compliance, mentally marking the colonel as a wise ally. Though not from the same empire, Cheng knew the benefits of cooperating with someone as influential as Feng Mo. This alliance would surely pay off for him in the long run.

"Excellent! Here's the plan: the Black Knight Fleet will form a wedge formation, using the Hurricane as the lead."

The wedge formation wasn't intended for a direct charge; Feng Mo planned to use it for hit-and-run tactics, forcing the mother ships to adjust their formation and bunch together, setting up an ideal strike zone for the incoming T4 Scorpions.

With both flanks strong, Feng Mo led the fleet in swift, coordinated attacks against the swarm, each skirmish followed by quick retreats. Any mother ship that pursued was picked off, adding to the tally of destroyed ships.

Using speed to their advantage, they circled the swarm, eliminating two to three hundred mother ships, whittling down the enemy with each maneuver. It would take time to destroy the entire swarm, but with their superior speed and firepower, they could eventually thin out the horde.

"Commander, the T4 Scorpions have returned," Han Peipei reported.

A smile spread across Feng Mo's face. "Finally!"

"Deploy the T4 Scorpions. Have them find optimal positions and conduct blanket bombardments. Once the bombardment is complete, they can return to the Storm Star System. The Black Knight Fleet will charge in with the Hurricane."

"Yes, sir!"

Mello and her team maneuvered the T4 Scorpions behind the swarm, avoiding proximity to Z227 to prevent any fallout from hitting the planet. Finally, Mello found an ideal location—distant from Z227 and exposed due to the mother ships' recent movements. Positioned in the gap, Mello gave the order:

"Auto-targeting system on. Primary targets: T3 mother ships. Secondary targets: T2 mother ships. Three rounds: first, antimatter missiles; second, proton torpedoes and concussion missiles; third, kinetic beam missiles and pulse torpedoes. Begin sequential bombardment!"

"Understood!"

At her command, forty antimatter missiles launched, detonating among the tightly packed mother ships, shredding their bio-shields. The subsequent waves followed, battering the unshielded ships with relentless firepower.

The concentrated formation of T2 and T1 mother ships, already weakened by Feng Mo's targeting, was decimated by the Scorpions' attack. Each missile or torpedo claimed multiple ships, with the chain reactions wreaking havoc on the dense formation. The three waves tore apart the swarm's structure, destroying over a thousand ships and scattering the remnants.

With the remaining ships thinned, Z227 emerged clearly from the debris field. The Mastodon, receiving Feng Mo's signal, surged out of the atmosphere, smashing through several T1 mother ships to rendezvous with the Hurricane.

The remaining T2 and T1 mother ships, numbering around a thousand, were no match for the combined forces of the Hurricane, Mastodon, and the mixed T4 and T3 Black Knight Fleet. With their main and secondary cannons recharged, the Hurricane led the final charge, ready to finish the battle.

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