Chapter 220: All Battles Turn to Melee

“Received!”

Chang Kong had been waiting impatiently!

“This is 01. All squad members, attention! There are a large number of fake warship targets on the battlefield. Our primary mission is to ascertain their authenticity, and only then should we try to eliminate enemy combat units! Everyone, follow me!”

Accompanying his command, in one of Cangyuan 1’s hangars, originally used for parking aerospace planes, pre-installed explosive devices silently detonated in the vacuum, blasting the hangar door outwards.

Speed was of the essence; this was the fastest way to open the door.

In intense combat, the four or five seconds it took for mechanical devices to open the door could decide life or death; there was no time to wait!

Unlike the careless and overconfident Punishment Fleet, the players knew the importance of every minute and every second.

The blue-green plasma exhaust illuminated the interior of the hangar. Twelve “Carved Owl” heavy fighters launched and surged into the outer space, heading towards the hundreds of fake targets.

Even before the battle began, the First Air Squadron had already hidden inside Cangyuan 1’s hull, just waiting for the right moment to give the enemy a surprise!

Fighting on Cangyuan’s home turf, being able to deploy forces in advance was an inherent advantage.

The Combined Punishment Fleet daring to launch an operation without prior reconnaissance, even unthinkingly treating Cangyuan 1 as a “prize,” could only be described as utterly arrogant.

From beginning to end, the idea that “the enemy only has less than 30 captured ‘Razor’ fighters, and they might not even be able to operate them” was firmly embedded in the minds of these arrogant fools.

Now, arrogance had finally transformed into a curse, an invitation from the Grim Reaper.

The First Air Squadron, taking the enemy by surprise from an undefended angle, rapidly approached the remaining seven enemy ships and quickly uncovered the mystery of the fake targets.

“They’re drones!!” Chang Kong reported to Lu Yuan in an almost hoarse voice, fearing that he wouldn’t hear clearly.

“There are a large number of small drones around the enemy fleet, totaling over a thousand! They are grouped into tens, and their bodies have glowing apertures! They are currently shining towards your direction! Their purpose is unknown for now!”

“Chang Kong! We’ve been illuminated by enemy radar; our whereabouts have been exposed!”

As he spoke, Lu Yuan heard another pilot’s voice come through the communication.

“Chang Kong! Target detected at 2 o’clock in the lower hemisphere! Total of twenty-four, presumed to be the enemy aircraft earlier that ‘shaved the heads’ of the newcomers.

Should we engage the enemy? Or continue reconnaissance?”

“This is the Executive Officer. Abandon reconnaissance, engage immediately!”

Lu Yuan quickly gave the order for Chang Kong, changing the combat plan and not letting the First Air Squadron risk their lives further.

In actual combat, rigid adherence to plans was a major taboo.

No matter how brilliant a plan made in advance, it was only a reference; when it was time to abandon it, one must do so without hesitation!

Knowing that the fake targets were fabricated by drones, and not something more incredible, was already enough!

“Brothers, did you hear that? The combat plan has changed! Come with me and have some fun!”

Chang Kong led the charge, rushing towards Galan’s twenty-four “Thundercloud” medium fighters, then engaging in fierce aerial dogfights to contend for air superiority.

At the same time, on the Xianyang’s bridge, Lu Yuan left his seat and walked over to Jubian.

“What do you think about these drone swarms fabricating targets? Can you crack it?”

Jubian pinched his brow, staring at the drone swarm photos Chang Kong had sent on the screen, deep in thought.

Now, this brain, with the highest intelligence attribute in all of Cangyuan, had to operate at full speed.

“I suspect they can project holographic images to deceive our eyes in the visible light spectrum. The glowing apertures on the drone surfaces should be for this purpose, somewhat similar to a projector lens!

“As for the clarity and scale of the holographic images, I can only say it’s completely black technology, far beyond our current technical level, and doesn’t seem to be Apollo’s own creation!”

Lu Yuan nodded.

“Understood. Then what about our radar? Why is it also malfunctioning?”

“Regarding the radar signals, look here!”

Jubian pointed to several drones on the outer periphery of the swarm.

“The spatial configuration they form is largely consistent with the warship’s outer silhouette. It’s presumed that the drones also have some extremely advanced electromagnetic wave gain reflection device installed. When illuminated by radar, they precisely mimic the warship’s echo signal, achieving signal spoofing from skywave to microwave frequencies.”

“Very high technical content, indeed… They managed to pack so much high-tech equipment into the drone bodies.”

Lu Yuan stroked his chin, commenting.

Alright! This little gadget is good. We need to capture one alive to play with.

“It is indeed high-tech, but that’s not all—”

Jubian continued: “The drone swarm can also fake infrared thermal imaging, combining three functions in one, truly a space con artist!

However, hehe, the flaw lies in the infrared signal.”

Lu Yuan immediately understood what he wanted to say.

Sometimes, if the commander is capable enough, subordinates can save their voices a bit.

“You mean the drones have limited energy and can’t imitate the high temperatures from engine ignition and weapon firing!”

Jubian gave a thumbs up: “You’re absolutely right! That’s why they haven’t performed any maneuvering or orbital changes, nor have they fired back. They’re probably activating stealth abilities while reorganizing their formation and morale, or perhaps waiting for the next warp cooldown!”

Stuck on cooldown, are they?

Hmm! We can’t just let these rascals get away!

Lu Yuan pondered for a few seconds, then loudly ordered all crew members.

“Everyone, attention! We will warp jump to the side of the enemy fleet, as close as possible, and engage them in a ‘melee’!”

“Ah!?”

The players looked at him in surprise.

Are you… that obsessed with close combat?

This was a decision that severely violated intuition and even common sense!

Because with the advancement of times and technology, both aerial and naval combat have been developing towards beyond-visual-range engagements, aiming for first detection, first fire, and first destruction of the enemy.

“Long-range sniping” was the most effective and advanced combat method, a symbol of powerful strength!

Why now were they imitating World War I or even sailing ship eras, fighting within visual range?

“What are you still standing there for? Do it quickly!”

At the critical moment, it really took a former professional soldier like Xian Yu, a fierce man, to stabilize the situation.

“We are all soldiers of the space fleet now! Obeying orders is our duty! Do you all want to go to military court?!”

“Yes—understood!”

With his reminder, the players immediately realized their current identity and quickly initiated the warp program.

“As long as the distance is close enough, the drone swarm’s disguise will definitely be broken.”

Lu Yuan nodded with satisfaction and sat back in the captain’s chair.

“Just like Chang Kong and his team, even though their radar power isn’t as great as the warship’s, and their infrared observation system’s lens aperture isn’t as large as ours, they still saw through the truth of the drone swarm’s deception.”

The players looked at each other.

“That being said, if it’s close-range combat, the enemy will definitely discover us too, and the firepower of seven warships will all be concentrated on us,” Xian Yu reminded.

Although he had just reprimanded everyone, he wasn’t blindly believing or obeying Lu Yuan.

For a qualified soldier, discipline and independent thinking were equally important.

“I know,” Lu Yuan said. “But our defenses are stronger. I don’t think we’ll be at a disadvantage in a head-on shootout.”

The Executive Officer is so fierce…

What if something goes wrong? Do you know that you cannot resurrect? Everyone had this thought in their hearts.

It didn't matter if they could resurrect, but they didn't want the game to be shut down.

“I understand—” Xian Yu took a deep breath. “Everyone, follow the original plan, prepare for close-range bombardment! Whether we can completely annihilate the invaders depends on this one action!”

“Escort Fleet reporting, this is Xian Yu.”

Just as Xian Yu finished speaking, a voice that excited everyone suddenly appeared on the channel.

They finally arrived!

“Our four warships have already reached your vicinity, currently only 200,000 kilometers away. If there’s any dirty work or heavy lifting, don’t hesitate, just assign it!”

“Good!”

Hearing that Cangyuan’s six warships were finally assembled, Lu Yuan could hardly contain his excitement.

Come on! The final passionate shootout!

“Later, you prioritize intercepting fighters and missiles, then cooperate with our bombardment by launching interstellar torpedoes to block the enemy ships’ escape routes.”

“Received! Leave it to us!”

“Wait a moment!”

At this moment, Black Smoke’s voice sounded on the channel.

“This is 102 Chang’an! If we absolutely have to play melee, at least let us go first! After we verify the effectiveness of the kinetic shield and anti-laser coating, then you, Executive Officer, can go, and it won’t delay your fun!”

“Alright.”

Lu Yuan smiled, not being polite with him.

“Then you go first, and remember to communicate combat details at all times.”

“Definitely!”

“Mm. Helmsman, are you ready?”

“Already prepared, just waiting for your order!”

“Very good, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Warp Engage!”