novelhk Chapter 54: Target Exterminated
Chapter 54: Target Exterminated
Four Star Rider-δs are rapidly approaching the outer escort channel of the two Saint-class heavy cruisers.
Inside the cockpit of the lead aircraft, the commander's face was grim, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his cybernetic eyes constantly updated the situation on the dock battlefield.
The Crimson Crown has betrayed us; patrol gunboats are blocking the waterway, and the communication links between heavy cruisers and destroyers are being cut off by the Truth Investigation Committee. They now have only one window to retaliate.
"All crew, listen up! Maintain high-speed advance formation. Target: outer deck of the heavy cruiser Saint-Feng-1. Prioritize retaking the communications room and bridge connection compartment."
"Do not engage patrol gunboats in close combat, do not enter the carrier strike group's fire control sector, thrusters at full power, machine spirits activated in overload mode, even if the machine spirits are destroyed, we must recapture the heavy cruiser!"
The three Star Rider-δ units simultaneously transmitted confirmation, their heavy aerospace jetpacks emitting white and blue trails of flame as the machines rapidly advanced.
"Faster, faster, even faster! We must recapture the fleet before it's taken over..."
Inside the cockpit of Unit 1, the commander was extremely anxious, constantly praying to the god of all machines, hoping that nothing unexpected would happen in the upcoming operation. But often, what you fear most is exactly what happens.
Just as they were rapidly advancing and approaching the target location, the commander discovered that the communication channel of Unit 4 had suddenly been lost.
[Model SA-I0121: Signal lost!]
[Machine recognition interrupted!]
[Driver's lifeline: Disconnected!]
The commander's pupils contracted; the onboard sensors were clearly empty!
"When...?"
He subconsciously turned his head to look in the direction where Unit 4 had just been.
In the distance, in the shadowy channel outside the dock, a black silhouette hangs there.
The machine's four propulsion units were arranged in a cross shape on its back, and its outline was pressed into the starlight by a dark cloaking coating. It held a physical SA longsword in its right hand.
The No. 4 aircraft, which had just been charging in at high speed, had now been cut in half at the cockpit, and the severed half of the aircraft was falling downwards, trailing flames.
The next second, Unit 4 exploded.
The shattered armor plates and propulsion backpack debris crashed into the outer protective netting of the dock, and the firelight briefly illuminated the head sensors of the black machine.
The commander's throat tightened instantly; he received three messages in that instant.
Bad news: He wasn't in the sensor.
Good news: I can see him again.
Even worse news: He's charging straight at me!
The black machine suddenly raised its head.
The next instant, the propulsion units on the back of the Skydrive Type I lit up simultaneously. He emerged from the wreckage of the explosion, carrying a physical longsword, and pounced directly on the remaining three Star Rider-δ units.
Don't come any closer!
The commander roared:
"Scatter! Everyone scatter! Don't let him get close!"
"Our machine's performance can't match his, don't engage him in close combat! Switch to manual fire control, maintain a triangular distance, and use crossfire to stall him!"
His judgment was accurate. Ignoring the stealth mechanism and numerical bonuses brought by the Mengji Machine Soul, and only considering the machine's performance and generational difference, the third-generation machine, Tianqu Type I, had already achieved an absolute crushing of the second-generation machine, Xingqi-δ.
[You piloted the Sky Drive Type I and destroyed the "Star Knight-δ "Falcon"!]
[You have gained 16800 experience points!]
[You have obtained partial information about the [Star Knight-δ "Falcon"]!]
【星骑-δ「隼」：机体生命值2800、护盾值1600（可再生）、装甲值950、能源上限3900、机动值128】
[Standard energy level: 720]
Peak energy level: 1500
The above are the basic stats of Star Rider-δ, while Sky Drive Type I completely overwhelms the opponent in every aspect.
【天驱I型：机体生命值6200、护盾值5200（可再生）、装甲值2200、能源上限9800、机动值300】
[Standard energy level: 1900]
Peak energy level: 4200
Your peak energy level can't even reach my standard energy level, what makes you think you can fight me?!
At this moment, the three Star Rider-δ, terrified, scattered. Their heavy jetpacks left three trails of white and blue flames, and all their beam rifles were switched to manual control mode. They could only aim using optical capture and visual judgment.
The first beam of light swept across the area.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—! !!!
The Skydrive Type I did not slow down; its four propulsion units at the rear deflected simultaneously, and the aircraft passed through the beam gap before rapidly advancing to the target.
Clang—!
The SA physical longsword in the hand of the Sky Chaser I grazed the chest of a Star Rider-δ.
The machine had just finished flipping over when its waist armor was torn open by the sword, and the cockpit protective shell, along with the neural interface, broke off.
[The Machine Soul Mengji's trait [Ambush Calibration] has been triggered.]
[Melee accuracy improved.]
[Target's shield has broken!]
[Target's armor has been penetrated!]
[Cockpit structure damaged!]
The upper and lower halves of the Star Rider-δ separated instantly, a burst of electricity erupted from the broken point, and then it exploded on the spot with a loud "boom".
The remaining two Star Rider-δ units fired wildly.
Two beam rifles fired high-frequency bursts in a short period of time, with blue and white beams sweeping across the outer channel of the Propylene Orbital Port, attempting to block the Skydrive Type I's advance route with dense fire. However, they were facing the Skydrive Type I, which had a mobility value of 300.
The black machine spun continuously between beams of light, and with each shift of the propulsion unit, it disappeared directly from the edge of the locking frame.
The Star Rider-δ's locking frame just barely touched the shadow of the Sky Drive Type I.
The next second, the black machine had already cut away from the edge of their vision. When they turned around again, the physical SA longsword was already on the flank of another machine.
Click—!
The sword blade sliced diagonally in from below the shoulder armor, tearing through the cockpit shell along the chest and abdomen structure. The Star Knight-δ's shield flashed for half a second before being crushed, and the entire machine exploded outward like a twisted metal doll.
Little Mengji lay on the edge of the psycho-frame, excitedly waving its little paws.
"Mengji Mengji!!!"
Without pausing, the Skydrive Type I simultaneously retracted its four propulsion units, leaving a black afterimage in the afterglow of the explosion, and charged directly towards the last Star Rider-δ.
That Star Rider-δ was the Commander's machine.
Inside the cockpit, the commander gripped the control orb tightly with both hands. The warning boxes in his tactical cybernetic eye filled his entire field of vision, but he numbly controlled the SA to fire.
He was completely out of options.
Damn it, tell me, how do you fight a third-generation fighter with a second-generation fighter?!
call out--!
The black Grim Reaper was already right in front of the commander, and in that instant, only one thought remained in his mind.
"How can there be such a twisted SA in this world..."
Click—!
The physical SA longsword pierced the cockpit head-on, the tip penetrating the chest armor, neural interface, and driver's seat. The entire Star Rider-δ was pushed backward by the Sky Drive Type I and slid dozens of meters.
The commander in the cockpit... has become Commander-chan.
The Sky Drive Type I drew its SA physical longsword, swung it into the air, and flung the Commander-chan off the sword.
boom--!
The last Star Rider-δ exploded into a fireball in the outer channel of the Propylene orbital port. Debris and fragments scattered along the inertia. The Sky Drive Type I slowly retracted its longsword, and the black machine hovered in the afterglow of the explosion.
He connected to the communication channel and said in a calm voice:
"Target eliminated."