Thirty mechs swiftly swept out from the asteroid cluster, carrying heavy anti-ship weapons as they pounced on the flank of the fleet protecting the Transport Ship.
The moment they emerged, they fired a volley from the energy cannons slung over their shoulders. Even the heaviest mech weapons were far weaker than a warship's main guns, but that did not mean mechs posed no threat to warships.
Basically, every two or three mechs focused their fire on a single warship. Moreover, all three hundred mechs were piloted by the most elite pilots, so their accuracy was naturally formidable. Lin Fan in particular struck vital areas with every shot.
After one wave of attacks, the escort fleet finally reacted. Three hundred mechs had been lying in ambush on their flank, so close that they were practically at point-blank range.
At this distance, the escort fleet had only one option: rely on close-in defense weapons. Fighter craft? Sorry, they had all been sent to the rear to intercept those nine thousand mechs. Turn around to face the enemy head-on? Even more impossible. By the time they completed the turn, the enemy mechs would already be inside the warship formation.
After launching three rounds of attacks and losing nine mechs, the remaining two hundred ninety-one mechs charged into the warship formation. They were all elites. Even without Lin Fan's command, they knew exactly how to fight within a warship formation.
Thus, many disabled warships were not finished off. Instead, the mechs used those vessels as shields and trenches while attacking other warships.
For a time, the entire escort fleet was hamstrung and unable to act freely. There might have been fewer than three hundred mechs, but these were humanity's elite pilots. The combat power of one elite pilot was absolutely comparable to that of ten ordinary pilots.
"Damn it! What are those useless fools outside doing? Why can't they handle a mere three hundred mechs?"
Duolun stared through the viewport at the warships being disabled one after another by the mechs, fury blazing within him.
Meanwhile, Lin Fan, Zhang Hu, and more than a dozen other pilots had already rushed to the side of the Transport Ship. Zhang Hu immediately used the cutting machine they had brought to carve a large hole through the hull at the cargo bay.
They left ten mechs outside to guard the ship, preventing Oakes Empire vessels from approaching. In any case, the enemy did not dare fire at those mechs.
The remaining mechs then followed Lin Fan inside in single file, entering the Transport Ship's cargo hold.
The surrounding escort warships noticed the situation as well, but there was no way to rescue them. Pull their ships alongside and send troops aboard to provide support? Ten mechs armed with anti-ship weapons were guarding outside. Could they even get close? Fire directly? The Ninth Prince was aboard the Transport Ship. What if they hit the escort ship?
At that moment, alarms blared throughout the Transport Ship, and Duolun began to panic.
"Your Highness, we need to get to the escape pods!"
"Alright!"
"You two, bring Liang Xue over as well!"
"Yes!"
Two of Wood's men quickly approached Liang Xue and seized her from either side. However, she struggled so fiercely that they could not carry her away smoothly, so they could only drag her toward the exit.
Smack!
"Why are you dawdling? Kill her immediately, then leave at once!"
Watching Wood's two men and Liang Xue struggling nonstop, Duolun looked thoroughly impatient. He turned around, slapped Wood across the face, and shouted.
The two men holding Liang Xue glanced at Wood hesitantly. Wood gritted his teeth and nodded at them.
Seeing Wood's signal, one of them pulled out a small laser pistol, aimed it at Liang Xue's head, and slowly squeezed the trigger.
Pew!
After the laser pistol fired, everyone was stunned. What they saw was different from the scene they had prepared themselves to witness.
Liang Xue had not fallen into a pool of blood. Instead, the head of Wood's armed subordinate had been pierced by a small hole, and he collapsed onto the floor.
"Who gave you the nerve to lay a hand on my woman?!"
A murderous roar came from the bridge entrance. When everyone turned to look, they discovered that Lin Fan, Zhang Hu, and five other subordinates were somehow already standing in the doorway, their guns aimed at everyone on the bridge.
For a moment, the entire bridge fell deathly silent. Only Liang Xue stared blankly at Lin Fan as tears streamed down her face once more.
Ignoring everyone else, Lin Fan walked directly toward Liang Xue.
At that moment, Wood gave the other subordinate still standing beside Liang Xue a meaningful look. The man immediately understood. Once Lin Fan approached, he would seize him while he was off guard.
Just as Lin Fan passed by him and arrived before Liang Xue, he struck. Following Wood's orders, he moved with lightning speed.
Wood knew these two subordinates of his very well. Their close-combat skills were absolutely first-rate. Ambushing someone like Lin Fan, who had only just graduated from military academy, under these circumstances should have been foolproof. If anyone was to blame, it could only be Lin Fan himself for being careless enough to walk right over.
"Commander!"
Seeing this, Zhang Hu immediately shouted and raised his gun to kill the attacker. But he could not pull the trigger, and neither could the others.
The angle was simply too bad. Even if they hit the man, the laser would pass through his body and ultimately injure Lin Fan.
Just when everyone believed Lin Fan was about to be subdued, Lin Fan shifted his body aside and swiftly extended his right hand.
The man lunging at Lin Fan suddenly lost sight of him. As he wondered what had happened, pain shot through his throat. Only then did he realize that Lin Fan's right hand was already clamped around his neck. He tried to struggle, but could not muster any strength.
Lin Fan glanced at him without saying anything. He simply tightened his grip, then tossed him aside.
What a joke. Every aspect of Lin Fan's physical ability was 3.5 times the human limit. So what if the man was skilled at fighting? Could he compare to Lin Fan's superhuman reactions, agility, and strength?
That man's lightning-fast strike had looked little different from slow motion in Lin Fan's eyes.
This scene shocked everyone. Even Zhang Hu and the other elite pilots were no exception. Their commander was actually this powerful in a fight? It felt like he could take on a hundred people alone.
Lin Fan crouched before Liang Xue and used the dagger he carried to cut her restraints. He looked at the tear tracks on her cheeks.
"Sorry. I said I wouldn't make you cry again, but I made you cry again so soon."
"These are tears of happiness!"
Liang Xue looked at Lin Fan, shook her head, and replied.
"Let's go. The battle on your father's side is still very tense!"
"Alright!"
After standing up, Lin Fan led Liang Xue toward the bridge exit. As he passed Zhang Hu, he quietly said something to him before walking out.
"Leave none alive!"
Before you continue