"Understood," Jiang Wei replied, taking a sip of his red wine with a smug expression. He barely regarded Feng Mo as a threat. With one of the empire's top T3-class destroyers and an experienced retired officer as his vice-captain, victory seemed inevitable. In Jiang Wei's mind, there was no way he could lose this duel.
Feng Mo, on the other hand, responded seriously, "Understood." He was ready, his heart pounding with excitement at the thought of crushing Jiang Wei.
"Very well. The duel begins now!" announced the referee.
A red circle appeared on the star maps of both starships, marking the area within which they were allowed to engage. The video feeds from both bridges were then cut off, signaling the start of the battle.
Jiang Wei turned to his vice-captain with a sneer. "Captain Zhang, our objective is to destroy the enemy starship. If any… accidents happen along the way, both my father and I will be quite pleased. We might even promote you to a commanding position in our family fleet."
Despite his playful and arrogant demeanor, Jiang Wei was ruthless. He understood that if he didn't crush Feng Mo now, he might regret it later.
Captain Zhang, a retired officer whom Jiang Wei's father had specifically recruited, nodded with confidence. He had previously served as the vice-captain of a T4-class battleship in the Imperial Fleet. "Don't worry, Young Master Jiang. I guarantee that the enemy starship won't make it back to the interstellar port."
Meanwhile, aboard the Storm, Feng Mo turned to Elplan. "What do you think? Their vice-captain is probably a seasoned Imperial officer. Are you confident?"
"Commander, I'll make sure we destroy that ship," Elplan replied confidently. She had complete faith in the Storm.
Feng Mo's adrenaline surged. Though he had never experienced a starship battle before, he felt secure in granting Elplan full command of the Storm. "Maintain a speed of 50 knots," Elplan ordered, setting the stage for the upcoming confrontation.
Feng Mo used the time before engagement to review the Storm's specifications on his smart terminal.
[T3 Storm-Class Interstellar Battleship]
Armor Strength: 330 units
Dimensions: 800m x 180m x 148m
Speed: 200 knots
Warp Engine: Level 3
Starshield Energy: Level 3, 100%
Weapons: T3 Turbine Laser Main Cannon x1, T3 Laser Cannon Secondary Guns x3, T2 Close-In Defense Laser Cannons x30
The Storm was equipped with formidable firepower. Its main and secondary guns were heavy weapons capable of devastating an enemy's shields with a single shot. Feng Mo then glanced at the specs of the T3 Peregrine-class destroyer. He couldn't help but smirk at the comparison. The Peregrine only had 170 units of armor strength and was armed with a single laser cannon main gun and twenty close-in defense laser cannons. In essence, its main weapon was equivalent to one of the Storm's secondary guns.
The Peregrine's specs were publicly listed on the Imperial database, giving Feng Mo a strategic advantage since his Storm was a complete mystery to the enemy. Elplan's initial order to maintain a slow speed was a clever ruse, designed to lure the enemy in.
The strategy was simple: bait the enemy, then deliver a surprise attack.
Understanding Elplan's tactics, Feng Mo relaxed in his chair, eager to see the plan unfold.
Soon, the two starships entered each other's radar range. The Peregrine suddenly accelerated to its top speed of 180 knots. Feng Mo nearly burst out laughing, knowing this reckless move had to be Jiang Wei's idea. Their instructors had repeatedly emphasized that charging at full speed was a rookie mistake. Clearly, Jiang Wei had underestimated the Storm.
This was precisely why Feng Mo had positioned the Storm in the asteroid field rather than at the port: to catch Jiang Wei off guard.
Both ships closed the distance rapidly. The Peregrine's main gun charged, ready to fire.
"Warning! Enemy starship's laser weapons detected!" The alert rang out.
"Gotcha," Elplan whispered, a smirk forming on her lips. "Full speed to port, now!"
The Storm suddenly accelerated from 50 to 200 knots in just five seconds, performing a sharp turn to the left. On the live broadcast, viewers watched in amazement as the Storm drew a wide arc around the Peregrine, evading its main gun's laser blast by a hair's breadth.
The broadcast showed the speed data: the Storm had reached 200 knots, the theoretical maximum speed for a T3-class starship. The entire academy erupted in shock. No T3 starship in the empire had ever reached this speed.
The Peregrine had previously held the record, which was why Jiang Wei had been so confident. But now, the Storm was outmaneuvering him.
The Storm completed its arc and charged straight at the Peregrine. Elplan gave the next command, her voice cold and precise: "Activate the Turbine Laser Main Cannon. Prepare the Laser Cannon Secondaries!"
"Charging Turbine Laser Main Cannon. 10… 9… 1… Ready to fire!" The bow of the Storm glowed with the energy of its 2600mm cannon.
Even the judges watching the live broadcast jumped out of their seats. "That's a 2600mm Turbine Laser Main Cannon! Those are typically equipped on T4-class battleships! This T3 starship is terrifying!" one judge exclaimed.
"Impossible! How can a T3 starship have a 2600mm main gun?" another judge shouted in disbelief.
On the Peregrine, Captain Zhang's face turned grim. "Full evasive maneuvers! All close-in defense cannons, intercept that shot! Maximize Starshield energy output!" Sweat dripped from his clenched fists.
Jiang Wei, who had been so carefree just moments before, was now pale and panicked. His grades were decent, and he knew exactly what a 2600mm Turbine Laser Main Cannon could do. Their Peregrine had just become prey under the barrel of a hunter's gun.
On the Storm's bridge, Elplan turned to Feng Mo with a smile. "Commander, it's been over two years since I last commanded a starship. I couldn't resist showing off a
bit."
"Hard stop. Fire!" Elplan ordered, her voice icy and authoritative.