On the way back, Lu Fenghan opened the driving rights of the reconnaissance ship to Pojun, because Professors Ling Qishui and Charles said that they had clues to provide about which link had problems.
Lu Fenghan spoke first and gave the cause: "We accidentally learned about the ambush from the system of a rebel supply ship that we captured, and then decided to rescue them. The plan that appeared in the supply ship system was released two days ago, and it clearly stated the specific time and arrangements for the three people's trip."
Charlize tucked her long, messy blond hair behind her ears and crossed her arms: "Thank you for your unhesitating rescue."
The last part of her voice fell silent. She tried her best to control her emotions and explained the matter in an orderly manner. "After a careful review by Ling Qishui and I, we found that the only space station outside of Toria nearby has equipment to support the experiment we are going to do.
Because we were very aware of the danger we were in, all our itinerary was kept strictly confidential, and the only people who knew about it were me, Ling Qishui, Shockley, and Shockley's assistants.
Lu Fenghan's military jacket was only loosely draped over his shoulders, his shirt collar was unbuttoned, and his standing posture was not standard, but his aura still retained some of the post-war arrogance: "Is there something wrong with these two assistants?"
The air became tense because of his words.
Richards' eyes were filled with sadness, and he choked up before answering, "Shockley's assistant is a smart young man. Two years ago, he got a girlfriend who was very pretty and sociable. They were classmates at school. But from the few times they met, it was clear that she was a little reluctant to discuss topics related to technological destruction.
In addition, she always wears a scarf no matter what season it is. I once walked behind her and inadvertently noticed that there was a small area of skin on the back of her neck that was whiter than the surrounding area, but I didn't take it seriously at the time because she once talked about how she liked tattoos when she was young and had tattoos many times. After washing them off, the skin color on her arms was uneven, which made her very distressed. "
Qi Yan remembered that Lu Fenghan had told him at the ISCO Equipment Center that the people on the rebel side liked to have a tattoo of an emblem on the back of their neck, believing that this would allow them to be blessed by God. After entering the alliance's territory, the tattoo would be temporarily washed off.
Richards' eyes became sadder as she spoke. "It was because we were not careful enough that we ended up in this situation. These deaths could have been avoided." She looked up, tears still trickling down her cheeks. "The people who came to pick us up were very young, and looked less than 30 years old."
She finally burst into tears.
Lu Fenghan waited until the other party calmed down a little before speaking: "Please take care. I will pass the clues you two provided to the military for investigation. If this person is indeed a traitor or a rebel spy, then we will deal with him according to the law."
He rarely said a few more words, "We are still alive, and we can make sure that those who died for the Alliance did not sacrifice in vain."
Ling Qishui patted Richards' thin shoulders, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes seemed to deepen. He told Lu Fenghan: "We are going to the space station to conduct the final experiment this time. The experimental results are very optimistic. According to our three ideas, the particle inverter can indeed be used on the front battlefield."
The reconnaissance ship arrived at the fleet base and entered the fishing range, where it was swallowed up by the command ship.
After Lu Fenghan boarded the ship, he took the two professors directly to the technical department, while Qi Yan went back to his room to take a shower first.
After changing into clean clothes, he couldn't help but touch the side of his neck while buttoning his clothes.
After applying the healing gel, the heat and itchiness soon subsided, and now when I look in the mirror, there is definitely no difference in the color of my skin.
He knew that he had been taking medicine, which caused him to be extremely sensitive to pain, and it would get better after stopping the medicine. But he also knew very well that—
It's not just because of the drugs.
The reason why she felt that way was because... Lu Fenghan.
I clearly found that scene from my memory. For a moment, the tingling sensation on my skin, the burning breath, and the sound of clothes rubbing against each other began to replay one by one.
stop.
In order to avoid replaying that memory over and over again, Qi Yan began to recite all the formulas he knew in a low voice, trying to clear his mind temporarily.
But his steps involuntarily turned towards the technical department.
Go find Lu Fenghan.
Realizing his actions, Qi Yan felt secretly annoyed.
I seem to be becoming more and more... clingy
However, near the technical department, Qi Yan was stopped by someone. He turned his head and said, "Ye Pei. Mondrian?" He couldn't help but look to the other side of the passage, and heard Ye Pei say with a smile, "Are you wondering how these two people have the leisure to drink coffee here instead of being so busy?"
Qi Yan answered honestly: "About the same."
Ye Pei tangled his hair with his fingers out of habit and shrugged: "To be honest, we also felt it was very strange, almost like winning the lottery."
She lowered her voice as if she was telling a secret, "The commander brought two people to find our boss. At that time, the boss was holding a cup of super espresso in his hand, and his white lab coat was wrinkled. He was on the verge of exploding. When he saw the commander, his face was as dark as the surface of the starship! But the commander pointed at the two people, and our boss followed, followed-"
She pounded her fist into her palm and thought of a wonderful description, "Just like a flower in spring, it blossomed with a bang! Then they went to discuss something. The boss was not here, so Mondrian and I couldn't continue what we were doing. We had no choice but to come out and get some fresh air."
He said it was a last resort, but his expression was more like "please do this kind of last resort more often."
Mondrian waited for Ye Pei to finish speaking before speaking: "Qi Yan, did you come back with the conductor?"
"Yes, order them to check the signal base stations," Qi Yan thought for a moment and told them about the rescue.
All three of them fell silent.
Ye Pei held the almost empty coffee cup and, like Qi Yan and Mondrian, rested his elbows on the metal rod in front of the porthole.
She scratched the ground aimlessly with her toes. "I don't know how long it will take to end." She said in a gloomy tone, "This feeling is too sad. Every time I repair a returning starship, I always see various traces of bombardment and collision, and sometimes there are bloodstains inside the starship.
I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of situation would cause the starship to be so severely damaged, and the people protected in the starship to be so seriously injured and bleed so much.”
Mondrian continued: "I have repaired a starship and confirmed that there are no problems. I hope it can return victoriously, even if it is blown to pieces. But there is a certain chance that I will never see that starship again."
He looked out the window at the dark space. "The starship has no life, but the people who drive it and the people who use it to enter space are all alive."
"Yes, sometimes I don't dare to look out the window. I'm so scared because I don't know how many people are buried in the darkness." Ye Pei was silent for a while and muttered softly, "In Leto before, the wind and rain were too far away. It was like being in a greenhouse. I didn't know anything."
She paused, not sure if she was asking herself or someone else, "But it's not too late now, right?"
Qi Yan understood what Ye Pei meant by "not too late" and said firmly: "Yes, not too late at all."
Taking a sip of half-cold coffee, Ye Pei shook her high ponytail and said, "Hey, I don't know if you feel the same way. I feel like I've grown up, not in terms of age, but psychologically!"
Qi Yan thought: "You once said that your mental age is always eighteen years old."
"It definitely wasn't me who said that!" Ye Pei deliberately glared at Qi Yan who was trying to sabotage him.
Qi Yan: "On October 22, in a private room of a restaurant near the Sky Diamond Plaza, you, Mondrian, me, Chagall, Platinum Blue, and the general were all there. You said this in person between 8:59 and 9:07."
Ye Pei pretended to tickle Qi Yan from a distance: "Your memory is too good! Not only can you record the scene with your eyes, but you can also accurately search for the content and time! Can we have a good chat now?"
A faint smile appeared in Qi Yan's eyes.
Instead, Ye Pei was stunned and poked Mondrian with his elbow: "Just now... was Qi Yan showing signs of laughing just now?"
Her eyes widened. "I must have seen it right! I thought if I told a joke just now, Qi Yan would definitely laugh!"
Qi Yan tilted his head: "Strange?"
"Of course it's strange!" Ye Pei looked Qi Yan up and down, propping up his chin, "I don't know if it's an illusion, but this time we met, you seemed to be more popular than the last time and the time before that. No, I should say you're more popular than in Turan! It's like the immortal floating in the sky in the legend of the ancient Earth finally got a sip of water from the mortal world!"
Mondrian was amused by Ye Pei's description: "It's not that exaggerated."
"Why not? Some time ago, many people in the technical department wanted to talk to Qi Yan, but no one dared to stand in front of him. Except for the commander who followed him in and out, it was because Qi Yan looked too cold and far away, so no one dared to get too close."
Ye Pei showed a gratified expression, and said with an air of seniority, "It's different now. Qi Yan has grown up and is now able to experience the world!"
Qi Yan lowered his eyes and thought, it was not him who was experiencing the mundane world, but Lu Fenghan who was bringing him and presenting the mundane world to him.
He used to live in his own little world, but now, through Lu Fenghan, he has established a connection with this world.
Because of the arrival of Ling Qishui and Charlize, Lorenz almost fell into a state of madness. In the next two days, Qi Yan only saw him once at a routine meeting - holding a coffee cup, looking at a certain point in the air and talking to himself, as if his brain was working crazily and he had no time to pay attention to his surroundings.
Seeing that Qi Yan was always looking in Lorenz's direction, Lu Fenghan directly stretched out his hand to block his eyes: "You have been looking at him for five seconds."
Qi Yan tilted his head with a puzzled look.
Lu Fenghan leaned in close and whispered, "I don't want you to see him."
After listening, Qi Yan closed his eyes.
Her eyelashes were still trembling.
His reaction made Lu Fenghan's heart soften.
When Lu Fenghan said the regular meeting was over, Lorenz immediately stood up and floated out of the command room as if he was walking on clouds.
Qi Yan was a little worried and pointed at the door: "Will nothing happen?"
Lu Fenghan didn’t care at all: “No, you haven’t seen his state when he first came into contact with the starship’s central control system. Anyone who saw it would want to kick him into a mental hospital. In comparison, this time is considered mild. When his brain cools down, he will become Lorenz, the human-shaped coffee stand again.”
He also told Qi Yan about the latest progress: "The particle inverter has been proven to be suitable for battlefields based on the model, and the effect is amazing. Once Lorenz and the two professors have perfected it, it will be put into field testing immediately."
Qi Yan was very perceptive: "Will it be used in the next battle?"
"If it goes well."
Lu Fenghan never relied on auxiliary means for victory. With new technological means, he could indeed improve combat effectiveness and even win the game. But as the commander-in-chief, he had to think about how to deal with it without assistance.
Leaning back in the chair, Lu Fenghan gently pinched the back of Qi Yan's neck twice, his eyes fell on the star map, his eyes slightly cold - it was about to begin.
Qi Yan was awakened by the alarm.
Since boarding the command ship, he has already had an understanding of the different frequencies of alarm sounds.
The main ship has a large internal space and a very complex structure. When a fault occurs somewhere on the ship, a short alarm will sound to remind the technical department to quickly repair it. If an enemy ship enters the range, an alarm will also sound to remind the ship to prepare for battle.
And this time, long-long-short-long-
Level 1 alert for the entire ship!
Qi Yan sat up, threw back the quilt and got out of bed. While putting on his slippers, he asked Po Jun, "What happened?"
"Chief, something has happened. Miss Metierin encountered rebels on her way back. The battle has begun. The general requires all combatants to report to their posts immediately. The command ship will rush to help in seven minutes."
Qi Yan paused for breath.
He spent almost twenty hours out of twenty-four in a day with Lu Fenghan, so he naturally knew that Lu Fenghan and Erich had already come up with more than a dozen strategic models to speculate on the rebels' attack routes.
He didn't know whether the rebels' entry point for starting the war was within Lu Fenghan's strategic prediction, but he knew that Mei Jielin led people to detect the signal base station and investigate the movements of the rebels, and did not send out the Chanyuan at all! The largest type of ship is only a medium-sized ship, and there are not many destroyers.
In such a situation, encountering the rebels -
Qi Yan's steps became much faster.
The metal door slid open to both sides, and Qi Yan entered the command room. The virtual star map had already lit up, and the fluorescent blue light was reflected on everyone's face. He immediately adjusted his breathing rate and gait, without showing any panic.
The entire command room was filled with Mei Jielin's voice: "Commander, the nearest one is the Dingyuan cruising nearby. I'll use it first!" She cursed, "I can still hold out for a minute or two, but these rebels are so damn difficult to deal with. They only target my artillery!"
Lu Fenghan replied: "I'll give you the Dingyuan. You fight and retreat at the same time. If you can, run. Don't rush forward. You only have one main ship and you can't beat the rebels. Long Xiyun has already brought people here, and we will be here soon."
"I know." Mei Jielin wiped his face, his expression serious, without any trace of his usual frivolousness. "I suspect this is a tactic of the rebels. They first targeted me and asked me to take out the Dingyuan, and then bombed me and the Dingyuan before you arrived. Then they waited for the advance support troops to arrive, and then surrounded and killed them directly. By the time the main force arrived, their combat effectiveness had been weakened, and their morale had also been hit hard."
Anyone can see it.
Everyone in the command room, including the communication dialog boxes that lit up on the virtual star map, understood what Mei Jielin didn't say directly -
Give up on me.
Give up on me and don't fall into the rebels' trap.
Lu Fenghan only replied: "The expeditionary army will never give up on you."
At this moment, Mei Jie Lin's eyes suddenly turned red, but her emotions were quickly suppressed. She smiled and said, "This is a f*cking naked conspiracy! The rebels knew that I would not be abandoned, so they openly came up with the idea of 'encircling the point and attacking the reinforcements'!"
Besiege them and they will surely come to your rescue, and destroy their reinforcements.
The rebels' intentions were sinister. They targeted Metierine because they were interested in her weight, status and influence within the expeditionary force. They used her as bait to attract the expeditionary force to rescue them, with the aim of annihilating the rescue troops.
Lu Fenghan said calmly: "Talk less and save your energy. Long Xiyun can't come that fast. You have to hold on by yourself during this period of time. Has the Dingyuan arrived yet?"
"I've seen it. I passed through the enemy's fire net and when I entered the fishing range, the Dingyuan swallowed me up."
Before he finished speaking, the video screen shook several times. Due to the huge impact force, Mei Jielin was smashed against the metal wall of the cockpit. Blood flowed down her temples and wet her princess cut.
"Get the hell out of here!" Mei Jie Lin cursed.
The communication indicator lights in the command room kept lighting up, and Lu Fenghan gave several orders in succession. Just a few minutes later, the entire command ship swung its blades and sailed into the deep sea of space like a giant whale.
Lu Fenghan's voice rang out simultaneously in everyone's built-in communicator: "Everyone enter the highest combat readiness state, the protection system is turned to the highest level, the armor layer is 100% covered, the reconnaissance ship turns on the stealth state, and cruises in full range. The destroyer is ready, and if the enemy detection is found, open fire directly."
He never seemed to panic. Even when the rebels' long swords attacked fiercely, he could still use his calm tone to reassure everyone who heard his orders and do the tasks at hand in an orderly manner.
He is the pillar that stabilizes the sea.
Countless light years away, Metierin jumped off the reconnaissance ship that was about to be blown apart, took off his sweaty gloves and casually stuffed them into his pocket, then ran across the bridge. The "thump thump" sound of his footsteps set off an empty echo.
She is now a little envious of Lu Fenghan for having Pojun, an artificial intelligence that is so handy to him.
As a lone man, Mei Jielin had no choice but to speed up and rush into the cockpit of Dingyuan. He glanced at the changes in the battle situation in the past two minutes, and changed his usual extravagance and wastefulness. He threw two missiles frugally, smashing the medium-sized ship on the opposite side and saving several of his subordinates.
Running all the way did not make her out of breath. Her extremely high physical fitness played a role at this moment. She quickly connected the communication and shouted, "With Dingyuan as the center, those who are dying and have only half their lives left, all retreat to the range!"
Immediately afterwards, several half-damaged small ships were successfully captured by the Dingyuan. Two minutes later, the destroyer in the Dingyuan went into battle again.
The blood on Mei Jielin's temples had dried up, highlighting the fierceness in her eyes. She spoke into the communication channel: "It was a bit unexpected, but now that we have run into each other, there is no point in shrinking back or throwing away weapons! Those who are afraid will have no chance to go home to their mothers. All of you, follow me!"
The tone is arrogant.
It obviously boosted morale.
She reminded him, "But everyone should keep in mind that we are limited in size, and our energy and weapons cannot afford to be consumed. Calculate each missile before launching it. Be frugal. Do you understand?"
The words sounded light, but when Metierin looked out the porthole at the densely packed enemy ships in space, his heart sank.
She bit her cheek, her eyes gleaming with the light of a war fanatic—
It's a tough battle.
He really thinks highly of her. What she ran into was just the vanguard, but the term "heavy troops pressing in" could already be used.
Long Xiyun, you'd better come quickly, otherwise you'll only be able to collect my body.
As she thought about it, she said in a sharp voice, with bloodshot eyes: "Everyone, listen to my command!"
However, in space battles, there are cases where a smaller force can defeat a larger one, but they are rare and there are many restrictions. Unlike land battles, you can rely on strategies and psychological warfare to create a classic battle that will still be written in textbooks a hundred years later.
Space warfare tends to be more of a head-on collision. Whoever has the stronger fists has a greater chance of winning, and tactics are often just icing on the cake.
Mei Jielin dared to fight, but he relied on the superior performance of the Dingyuan, sufficient ammunition storage, and the fact that his men were all trained in the hail of bullets on the front line.
"Conical formation, output in the middle, defense on both sides, can't be dispersed... Get ready, fire a wave of missiles!"
Silent explosions occurred one after another.
"Push the lever to full gear and retreat quickly! Dingyuan can block this shot!"
The moment the order was issued, several destroyers turned their bows. At the same time, the huge hull of the Dingyuan suddenly turned sideways like a dragon's tail and was hit by a particle cannon.
Mei Jielin stood firm in the bumps, and a loud alarm sounded in her ears: "The damage rate of the protection system is 58%, please pay attention!"
Halfway through the alarm, Metierin had already fired seven laser beams at once, and a white rainbow fell to the opposite side, splashing a flame.
She snorted and laughed, her eyes full of hostility: "I never collect debts until tomorrow!"
Then, Mei Jielin ordered: "All ships report damage."
"The protection system of the destroyer series D17 has been shattered, but the armor layer can still hold up."
"Destroyer serial d32 starboard side damaged, balance lost."
…
"Destroyer series D79's energy source is damaged and cannot be repaired. Request."
Mei Jielin had a blank expression on her face: "Approved."
After a few breaths, the serial number D79 destroyer unloaded its remaining ammunition and let it float in space for its comrades to pick up. It then increased its power to the maximum, changed direction with its bow, and suddenly turned into a meteor, attacking a medium-sized ship of the rebels.
The flames ignited by the explosion suddenly broke through the darkness, and the destroyer was no longer visible. After realizing the opponent's intention, the medium-sized ships of the rebel army tried to dodge hastily, but failed. They also implicated two small ships nearby and were blown to pieces.
Mei Jielin clenched her fingers and left a row of nail marks on her palm.
The voice that spoke out was still calm: "The enemy is preparing to encircle us. Coordinates 21, 366 are weak. Concentrate firepower and break out from there!"
"Report! The stern of the destroyer serial D155 is damaged, and the oxygen content in the cabin is rapidly decreasing. Request a breakout!"
Mei Jielin paused for a second without noticing: "Approved."
Inside the D155 destroyer, the pilot, holding his breath with veins bulging on his neck, saluted in the direction of the Dingyuan, then increased to top speed, charging towards the weak point of the encirclement while firing all of his remaining ammunition to clear a shortcut for escape.
When approaching the enemy starship, he left the only remaining missile in the thruster and detonated it without launching it. It then turned into a huge fireball and attacked the enemy fleet, blasting a hole in the gradually forming encirclement!
Mei Jielin quickly ordered: "Get out of the encirclement as quickly as possible!"
No one spoke in the communication channel, but each starship demonstrated unimaginable driving skills and successfully broke through in a mysterious way.
Noticing the raised guns of the enemy's main ship, Metierin's pupils shrank. He only had time to let the other ships dodge behind him while maneuvering the Dingyuan to stand firmly in front of the other ships like a shield.
Under attack from the particle cannon, the alarm sounded again.
"Protection system failed!"
"Armor damage rate 21%!"
The huge impact force threw Meijielin out and hit the metal wall. The already solidified wound opened again and blood flowed along the original trace.
She rubbed the corner of her eye with her backhand, leaving a sticky blood stain on the back of her hand. Mei Jielin felt dizzy and simply didn't stand up. She spat out a mouthful of blood and thought to herself, I have thought about defeating the rebels, handing in my military uniform, military cap and epaulettes, and finding a man I like to teach him some tricks.
It seems that this dream will never come true, she will never have this blessing in this life!
Relying on her strong physique, she recovered in a few seconds and said, "Regroup!"
If you have a ship, don't be sad. No matter how serious it is, you must take the people who follow you out before you die. Take as many as you can!
Just as she was thinking about which direction to jump to in order to find a way out, someone shouted in the communication channel: "Captain—"
Mei Jielin raised her eyes subconsciously.
Three main ships and countless follower ships descended from the sky. The speed of the entire fleet seemed to have upgraded its power system by three levels, so fast that it was astonishingly fast.
Cold and murderous.
The fleet easily took over several of Metierin's tattered and nearly falling apart destroyers.
In the Dingyuan, half of Mei Jie Lin's face was covered with blood. She cursed softly, her eyes red, and then she smiled.
"Long Xiyun, you are so stupid. You are really rushing here to die."