Chapter 112: Entering the Main Island
One fighter after another passed through the path Lightning Aegis had cleared. Seeing the Unified Army's Variable Fighters already retreating in full force, Xiao Ran put away his weapons as well. He turned, transformed, activated his thrusters, and sped away at full speed. Lightning Aegis could not match a Variable Fighter's speed, and after helping them out, he had no intention of covering the retreat for those fighters behind him.
Xiao Ran had also realized that even if he and those badly battered Unified Army fighters remained here, they would not be of much use. Apart from the small number of bugs entangled in battle with the Variable Fighters here, most of them had bypassed this area and charged toward Fleet 25. They had even destroyed several of the smaller warships in the fleet protecting the ship group. Under the attacks of the red leader bugs, those small warships could not even withstand a single electromagnetic energy beam before turning into blazing fireballs and exploding. Within seconds, the flames died out, smoke rose, and they became scattered piles of scrap metal.
The fighters withdrawing from the first line of defense joined the second line, where the warship formations were stationed, and began firing. On one side stood the fully prepared warship formations; on the other were bugs with extraordinary mobility and powerful firepower. Beam fire, electromagnetic energy beam cannons, countless missiles, and opposing curtains of cannon fire transformed the area between them into the most dangerous zone on the battlefield.
Xiao Ran piloted Lightning Aegis through continuous turning maneuvers. Either he fired from within the defensive formation, or he charged forward, swept the area with a volley, shifted into MS Form to fire several shots, then transformed again and rushed back toward his allies.