"Prepare for engagement!" Loto's voice crackled over the comms. "Fighters, hold the flanks. Ship One, Ship Two, engage freely!"
Following the order, Ou Zhanpeng piloted his modified Swordfish a short distance outside the formation. His six escorting drones automatically adjusted their orientation, maintaining their position in front of his fighter.
Ling Xiao's worried voice then came through the radio: "Fatty Ou, don't fly the Swordfish like a Starhawk, you'll get yourself killed!"
"Don't worry, I know!" Ou Zhanpeng replied.
Flying this ship wasn't an easy task.
Although the modified Swordfish was considerably smaller, it was still much more cumbersome than a Starhawk. Its advantage lay in better acceleration and higher speed, but its maneuverability was far inferior to the Starhawk's.
Therefore, the Swordfish's only reliance was its speed; it absolutely could not get caught in a dogfight.
As they spoke, the distance between the two sides continued to shrink. Although the relative speed wasn't high, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
Ou Zhanpeng constantly monitored the distance between the two sides, calculating how much longer it would be until the enemy entered their firing range.
Loto's voice suddenly came over the radio: "Fire—"
The electromagnetic main cannons of the two Expedition-class ships fired simultaneously, launching shells at the enemy's ice ships at a rate of one every three seconds.
At this point, the enemy had not yet entered their firing range, making the hit rate of the electromagnetic cannons quite dismal. The ice ships, being larger, had a slightly higher chance of being hit.
The shells streaked through the void at incredible speeds, weaving through alien craft of various sizes, but not touching a single one.
The enemy showed no reaction and maintained their formation perfectly.
After what felt like countless volleys, a stray shot finally found its mark. An alien gunship suddenly exploded, and nearby alien fighters, caught off guard, were hit by debris. Several of the large alien species were killed instantly.
"Well shot!"
Ou Zhanpeng clenched his fist, invigorated.
No matter what means were used to achieve the hit, destroying the target was a good thing!
The alien species finally showed some reaction. Their previously tight formation dispersed slightly, but their overall depth remained unchanged.
After more than twenty rounds of bombardment, the enemy ships finally entered their firing range.
There was no hesitation. The two warships simultaneously opened their broadsides, unleashing an astonishing number of anti-air missiles from their bays. They ignited and surged towards the targets ahead.
In a mere ten seconds, the sky was filled with the fiery trails of missiles, and faint smoke trails marked their passage through the air.
Since it was a head-on confrontation, there was no need to hold back. From the moment the engagement began, the two Expedition-class ships committed all their firepower to overwhelming the enemy.
The alien species were not to be outdone. They waited patiently until the missiles were close before suddenly opening fire, their pale beams crisscrossing the sky.
Some missiles were hit by the beams and ceased to function, while others successfully breached the defensive screen, igniting fiery explosions within the enemy ranks.
Compared to Jupiter's vast sphere of influence, the engagement zone was pitifully small, yet the battle was exceptionally fierce.
In just over ten seconds, Ship One had expended its remaining thousand-plus anti-air missiles.
Ship Two didn't last much longer. In a mere half minute, it had fired over two thousand anti-air missiles.
Not only that, but Ship Two also launched a full sixty-four heavy missiles towards the moon Io, which bypassed the battlefield from the flanks and headed straight for the alien base on the moon.
The enemy immediately diverted a portion of their fighters to intercept, fighting desperately without regard for their own safety.
Ou Zhanpeng suddenly received a warning from the bridge. A group of alien aircraft had accelerated and broken away from the formation. Half of them attacked head-on, while the other half circled around the flanks, charging towards their warships in two prongs.
The alien species clearly refused to be passively beaten. They seized the opportunity to launch a desperate counterattack.
However, in the empty void, with no cover or concealment, all actions of both sides were clearly visible to the other. There was no element of surprise.
Ship Two reacted without hesitation, firing a volley of missiles that directly clashed with the enemy aircraft attacking from the front. The flashes of explosions merged into a single plane, with pale beams of light flying in all directions.
The warship ignored the missiles flanking from the sides and ordered the fighters guarding the flanks to meet the enemy.
Ou Zhanpeng happened to be in another sector, so he was not involved.
Four Starhawks, accompanied by twenty-four drones, charged forward. The drones accelerated, executing a series of maneuvers while firing their guided missiles. In an instant, they were entangled in a dogfight with the enemy aircraft.
However, the alien species had a very clear objective. They continually divided their forces to intercept the Expedition-class ships' attacks, with a small contingent of enemy aircraft always rushing towards the warships at maximum speed.
The human warships were only two in number. The enemy knew very well that if they could destroy these two ships, they would secure victory in this battle.
On one side were overwhelming numbers relying on sheer quantity; on the other, fierce firepower with immense force. The two sides were evenly matched, and the battle entered a stalemate, with neither gaining the upper hand.
The alien species could afford to sustain a prolonged conflict, but the Expedition fleet could not afford any missteps. Failure would lead to utter annihilation!
The two Expedition-class ships suddenly adjusted their course to avoid a direct confrontation with the enemy. Simultaneously, Ou Zhanpeng received a new order: launch a full-scale assault and strike directly at the alien base!
Ou Zhanpeng's gaze sharpened, and he immediately accelerated to full power. The six drones quickly moved closer to the Swordfish, slotting into their drone positions one by one.
In addition, the other three Starhawks accelerated forward at the same time, but their mission was not to launch the assault but to provide cover for the Swordfish.
The acceleration of the modified fighter was extraordinary, quickly leaving the Starhawks behind.
The alien species noticed something was wrong and immediately diverted forces to intercept. However, they were not only a step too late but could only watch helplessly as the Swordfish broke through the blockade.
As the Swordfish flew over the alien species' lines, some enemy aircraft became flustered. They broke formation and desperately pursued the Swordfish. The previously orderly enemy formation began to show unwelcome cracks.
However, no matter how hard the enemy tried, they couldn't match the Swordfish's speed. In a short while, the fighter had flown over the moon Io.
Ou Zhanpeng decisively issued the command. The six drones detached simultaneously, forming a neat line and launching the final charge towards the sole alien base.
The alien species had deployed all their aircraft, leaving the base completely undefended. The six drones encountered no resistance and, at extreme speed, hit their targets one after another.
In an instant, a dazzling burst of light erupted on the surface of Io, causing the ground to shake violently.
Then came the second, the third!
Six consecutive nuclear detonations hurled countless rocks and soil into the sky.
Even without looking, it was evident that the explosions would leave a massive crater on Io's surface, completely obliterating the alien base that had taken so much effort to establish, leaving not a trace behind.
The explosions triggered a chain reaction, and several already unstable volcanoes erupted violently.
Having succeeded in its attack, the Swordfish immediately pulled away from Io.
The two Expedition-class ships and the remaining Starhawk fighters also disengaged from the battlefield.
There was still an alien base on moon Four, and it was necessary to preserve some combat strength to completely eliminate the last target!
But at that very moment, the escape pod on Io suddenly split in half, revealing a bottomless chasm!