First Battle in Space

At this moment, the spaceship's lower hatch opened.

More than a dozen figures swiftly flew out.

There were eight Purple Tier Mechas and four yellow mechas.

The Purple Tier Mechas belonged to Tang Le's bodyguards.

The yellow mechas were security personnel from the civilian spacecraft.

Although mechas could not fight in space for extended periods, they had no other choice now.

The moment the Star Pirates appeared, they launched an all-out assault.

Their objective was already clear.

They intended to destroy the spacecraft.

If they succeeded, death would await them.

Everyone aboard the spacecraft would be in mortal danger.

So they had to fight back!

Ever since the alarm sounded, the entire spacecraft had fallen into chaos.

If the safety belts had not been forcibly tightened, most of the passengers would probably have started making a scene.

Other than Nan Xuanyu, everyone was enclosed within automatically activated protective shields.

"Take me there, quickly!"

Nan Xuanyu shouted, grabbed the flight attendant, and rushed forward several steps.

"Y-you can really pilot a Starfighter?"

The flight attendant followed behind him as she asked.

Her face was filled with doubt, shock, and panic.

He was so young. Could he really fly one?

"I can. Please believe me, I studied under my teacher for three years!"

Nan Xuanyu said firmly.

Although he had never piloted a real fighter before, Nan Xuanyu could not worry about that now.

He had to be able to do it, and he had to fly it.

Otherwise, if the spaceship was destroyed by the Star Pirates—

His family of three would all die here.

So would everyone else.

"I-I'll take you there right away!"

The flight attendant took a deep breath, swiftly grabbed Nan Xuanyu, and headed forward.

At that moment, with her hand held by Nan Xuanyu, she somehow felt an inexplicable sense of security.

Moreover, Nan Xuanyu released his Soul Power and gently protected her at his side, shielding her from the roaring noise.

Her panicked heart gradually calmed down.

Very soon, the Starfighter in the spaceship's lower bay appeared before Nan Xuanyu.

After studying for three years, this was still his first time seeing a real fighter.

The Starfighter was silver-gray all over, streamlined in shape, roughly twenty-five meters long with an eighteen-meter wingspan.

Rapid-fire Soul Cannons were mounted at the front.

This was the most basic kind of Starfighter.

Though he was not entirely confident and it felt dangerous,

Nan Xuanyu was extremely excited.

He was about to pilot a real Starfighter.

"Thank you. I'm going!"

Nan Xuanyu spoke to the flight attendant, then leaped into the air and entered the cockpit.

Everything he had learned over the past three years surfaced in his mind.

He reached out and pressed the Starfighter's activation button.

The entire craft gave a slight tremor.

As a low rumble sounded, the canopy above him slowly closed.

Seeing this, the flight attendant stood frozen in place, disbelief written across her face.

It looked like this kid really could pilot a Starfighter.

That was simply unbelievable!

Inside the fighter, a communication request came through. Nan Xuanyu connected without hesitation.

"Who activated the Starfighter? I'm the captain."

An alarmed, furious voice came through, carrying not only anger but also doubt and nervousness.

Nan Xuanyu took a deep breath and deliberately lowered his voice.

"Hello, Captain. I'm a Starfighter pilot and happen to be aboard this spaceship.

I heard from the flight attendant that no one on the ship can pilot the Starfighter.

With a powerful enemy before us, there was no time to request permission. Please open the lower bay and let me join the battle."

"You're a fighter pilot? What is your service number? Which unit are you from?"

the captain urgently asked.

He had to confirm Nan Xuanyu's identity.

With a powerful enemy at their doorstep, there could not be any trouble from within.

What if Nan Xuanyu was an enemy agent?

If that happened, he could fly the fighter out and attack the spaceship alongside the Star Pirates.

That would be disastrous.

"Captain, don't ask so many questions right now. Open the lower bay quickly.

Otherwise, we'll all die very soon. You have to trust me!"

Nan Xuanyu did not want to explain further. If they learned he was only an eleven- or twelve-year-old child, they would never open the hatch.

Boom...

The spacecraft was struck again, and its protective shield was on the verge of shattering.

"Fine. Then I'll leave it to you."

The captain gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

The lower bay slowly opened, exposing the underside of the spacecraft.

Nan Xuanyu took a deep breath, his heart racing and his hands trembling.

He pressed a button. The helmet behind him slowly lowered, connecting with his head.

His Spiritual Power was rapidly released through the guidance system, and his mental senses merged with the fighter.

This allowed him to control it as easily as moving his own body, making his maneuvers more flexible.

This was a real Starfighter flight in every sense of the word—and real combat as well.

He was excited and nervous.

And a little afraid.

Following the operating methods his teacher had taught him, he gathered his courage and swiftly made his moves.

The Starfighter jolted violently, then shot out like a missile.

In the next instant, it plunged into space.

Before the Starfighter emerged, the twelve mechas had already rushed out.

Once the five pirate warships noticed them, their attacks on the spacecraft immediately lessened.

But at that moment, dark-yellow mechas flew out one after another from the pirate warships.

There were more than twenty of them.

The spaceship was under even greater pressure.

At this moment, Tang Le stood before a window and frowned.

His long blue hair drifted with the motion.

He pressed his right hand against the porthole before him. A faint flash of gold flickered and vanished.

The Starfighter shot into space.

Nan Xuanyu immediately felt every pore in his body open up.

His mental senses extended outward, allowing him to clearly perceive the situation on the distant battlefield.

By then, both sides had already engaged.

The twenty mechas that had emerged from the five pirate warships were fighting the twelve mechas from the spacecraft head-on.

For a time, cannon fire streaked across space and collisions rang out one after another as the two sides became entangled in fierce combat.

With the five pirate warships providing firepower suppression,

and more than twenty mechas applying pressure,

the spacecraft's side was at a severe disadvantage.

The instant the Starfighter appeared, it drew the pirates' attention.

Four mechas charged toward Nan Xuanyu at high speed.

A cold killing intent appeared in Nan Xuanyu's eyes.

His hands moved in rhythm as he controlled the Starfighter into a sharp turn, tracing a small arc before instantly changing direction and accelerating.

He needed to raise his speed to its peak as quickly as possible before attacking.

Flames erupted from the exhaust, radiating blazing light.

The Starfighter accelerated instantly, shooting out as if launched from a catapult.

It flew toward distant space.

The four mechas gave chase at full speed.

The five pirate ships continued bombarding the spacecraft with cannon fire.

Once his speed surged to its optimal state, Nan Xuanyu controlled the Starfighter and turned back toward them.

The four mechas met him head-on, firing beam after beam at the Starfighter.

Nan Xuanyu gritted his teeth and swiftly controlled the Starfighter into a roll, narrowly dodging the attacks.

Then he executed another reverse roll, instantly arriving close to the four mechas.

During the roll, the main cannon finished charging. The moment he stabilized, the main cannon fired.