Chapter 43: Battle Commences

Fourteen against over a hundred—advantage is ours.

As always, Feng Mo handed over temporary command to Ai Er. At most, he served as a figurehead, issuing orders while Ai Er did the real work. When it came to strategizing and leading a fleet, Ai Er's decades of battle-hardened experience far surpassed Feng Mo's four years of rigorous training. Feng Mo still had much to learn. While he could handle a one-on-one starship duel, large-scale space battles were a different beast altogether.

In any case, professional tasks should be entrusted to professionals. After all, commanders were meant to drink tea and supervise.

There was a saying: when poor, strike with precision; when rich, unleash overwhelming firepower. Early on, Ai Er had to carefully calculate every shot from the main and auxiliary cannons. But now, commanding a well-equipped fleet, she finally experienced the luxury of abundant firepower.

The Storm Fleet moved with disciplined precision, tightly packed and forming an unbreakable formation.

"Escort ships, assume defensive positions and intercept incoming enemy fire."

"Destroyers and battleships, fire your main cannons for the first wave, auxiliary cannons for the second wave. Destroyers, prepare shock missiles and proton torpedoes for the third wave."

Standing firmly on the bridge, Ai Er's eyes were resolute. She gave the command.

Instantly, the order was executed. The ten T2 Black Bear ships aligned their rapid-fire close-in defense guns. The three T3 Mantis-class destroyers and the Storm's main cannon began charging, their lights blazing brilliantly.

Here, the star-range finders proved invaluable. They enabled the Storm Fleet to accurately measure the distance between their ships and the enemy, compensating for the lack of reliable radar.

Crew members focused intently on their consoles, manually aligning their targets. At Ai Er's command, the first volley of four main cannons fired!

"Second wave, fire!" she commanded.

The second wave of nine auxiliary cannons followed, mere seconds apart. Thirteen beams of concentrated light streaked through the void, converging on the enemy fleet's left flank.

Their first attempt at manual targeting was a little off-center, as the volleys were originally aimed at the enemy's central formation. Nonetheless, a series of explosions erupted, creating a temporary vacuum in the enemy's left flank.

Feng Mo couldn't help but admire the power of his Luck attribute once again. The Storm's 2600mm turbo laser beam not only pierced through an enemy T2 escort ship but continued its path, obliterating a T2 destroyer. In an instant, the Flame Raiders' left flank lost contact with fifteen starships.

"Report! We've lost energy signals from fifteen ships on the left flank. They've all been destroyed!" came the frantic message.

"What did you say?!"

The news left the Flame Raiders' leader utterly stunned. He jumped to his feet, his already menacing features twisting with disbelief.

That young brat on the other side had played dirty, opening fire right after cutting off communication. Two volleys had wiped out more than a tenth of his fleet!

When the leader pulled up visuals of his fleet, he was left speechless. Wreckage from shattered starships floated in the void, a grim testament to the enemy's firepower.

Turning to his dumbfounded lieutenant, the leader's rage exploded. He slapped the man hard, shouting, "What are you waiting for? Order a counterattack immediately! Damn it, I'll make that brat pay for this!"

But the Storm Fleet wasn't done yet. Six shock missiles and twelve proton torpedoes slammed into the enemy's right flank.

The proton torpedoes were just as devastating as the Storm's auxiliary cannons, but the real surprise was the shock missiles. These physical projectiles traveled at near-light speed and could bypass most energy shields. The Mantis-class destroyers fired six of these missiles, targeting an enemy T3 Peregrine destroyer. The first missile shattered its shield, and the second ripped through its armor and engine, leaving the ship dead in space.

The third wave of attacks wreaked havoc on the right flank, destroying thirteen enemy ships and damaging seven more, including a T3 destroyer. In total, the Storm Fleet's three waves of firepower had decimated nearly a third of the enemy fleet before the battle had even truly begun.

"How… how is this possible?" the Flame Raiders' leader roared, his face contorted with disbelief. "How could they be so accurate without automated targeting systems? Are their crew members all battle-hardened veterans of the Federation?"

His face had turned a sickly shade of green, and he raged around the bridge like a madman.

"What are you standing there for? Order a full counterattack! Do you want them to pick us off one by one?!"

The terrified lieutenant relayed the orders, and the Flame Raiders' fleet returned fire. But Ai Er remained unfazed. Most of the incoming shots were intercepted by the T2 Black Bear ships. The few that slipped through were absorbed by the T3 ships' heavy armor.

Still, Feng Mo's initial warning rang true: quantity had a quality all its own. The close-in defense systems couldn't intercept everything, and the T2 Black Bears' armor was taking a beating. Continuing like this would mean victory, but at a high cost—many T2 Black Bears would be lost.

Ai Er wasn't satisfied with that outcome. After the first exchange of fire, she adjusted their strategy.

"Fleet, maintain formation and accelerate toward the enemy's weakened left flank," she ordered. "We're going in for close combat. Any T2 Black Bear ship that sustains over 70% damage should fall back and let the T3 Mantis ships take the brunt."

"Yes, ma'am!"

The fleet, linked together by tow beams, moved as one, gliding like a unified entity. They weaved around the enemy formation, ensuring that no more than five enemy ships could engage them at any given time. This way, they minimized the damage they took while maximizing their offensive potential.

The Flame Raiders' counterattack was chaotic and disorganized. When the enemy ships tried to surround the Storm Fleet, the Storm would blast through their ranks, breaking the encirclement before it could solidify.

In space battles, strategy was constrained by physical limitations. In the end, the winner was determined by firepower and ship performance.

Watching more of his ships being blown apart, the Flame Raiders' leader began to panic. He was a coward at heart, and the sight of his fleet crumbling filled him with dread.

The saying "A cowardly leader makes for cowardly subordinates" held true. Seeing their commander hesitate, the enemy captains began to lose morale and fight half-heartedly.

After two more devastating volleys, the Flame Raiders' fleet was reduced to less than half its original size. Ai Er seized the moment and issued her final command.

"Fleet, charge into the enemy's center! Storm, main a

nd auxiliary cannons, start charging. It's time for the decapitation strike!"