Global Crossing: Empire of Stars

Of course, it's foolish not to use an advantage. His psionic perception followed the radar waves of the "Qinyuan" and quickly scanned the approaching pirate fleet.

"All ships, attention! Aim according to my orders. Coordinates 123.452.625, aim, fire at will!"

The "Qinyuan's" command echoed through the communication channel. Of course, these were coordinates judged relative to his flagship. The radar communicator would quickly mark the firing positions for the entire fleet based on the coordinates he spoke, enabling the entire fleet to concentrate its firepower for a coordinated volley.

For a novice radar operator, this process would take about ten seconds. But for a master-class crew member, by the time the Captain gave the order to fire, the marked positions would already be labeled and sent to the entire fleet.

Even with the coordinates readily available, the NPC crew still needed to calculate the firing trajectory based on their own warship's actual position. Thus, the first coordinated volley didn't begin until 13 seconds later.

"Zzzzt~"

Electromagnetic cannon shells shot out one after another. To maximize the advantage of Long-Range Artillery, the fleet was equipped primarily with electromagnetic cannons. In one volley, hundreds of electromagnetic alloy projectiles, large and small, flew at near-light speeds.

"Second volley, coordinates 125.442.621!"

"Third volley, coordinates 127.451.652!"

"Fourth volley, coordinates 134.423.642!"

"..."

Unlike the "Qinyuan's" extreme efficiency operating solo, each volley from the entire fleet required at least 13 seconds, a significant drop in efficiency.

But this was what Lin Zhichen saw. If it were any other fleet in the solar system, very few could complete a volley within 30 seconds. This was the immense value of master-class NPCs in actual combat.

As volley after volley was fired, the gunnery skills of all NPC gunners in the Meteor Fleet were rapidly improving. Simultaneously, a brand-new skill appeared on their personal panels: Long-Range Artillery!

After more than ten consecutive volleys, the first wave of cannonballs finally reached the target fleet. At this moment, the pirate fleet was still oblivious, sailing along as usual, unaware that death had arrived from the darkness!

Old radar systems had poor detection capabilities for kinetic weapons like electromagnetic projectiles. The meteor-like barrage converged into a net, enveloping a Pirate Raider.

Psionic sensing merged with radar waves, and a scene from light-seconds away appeared in his perception. This targeted Raider was locked on and focused fire. Hundreds of projectiles descended like meteors.

Due to the skill level, most of the cannonballs missed, disappearing into the darkness. But this was the advantage of a coordinated volley; under overwhelming saturation fire, there were always lucky hits.

"Boom~"

After being hit by 7 projectiles, one of which was a 100-megaton cannon shell from a destroyer, a large-caliber cannon's projectile possessed far greater power than a small electromagnetic cannon. The Raider, hit continuously, was annihilated into a ball of flames with no suspense.

Suddenly struck, the pirate fleet was thrown into confusion. Poor command meant that the fleet did not immediately scatter or execute any other orders upon being ambushed. They continued to sail in their original positions, and the communication channel was filled with noise.

Soon, the second wave of bombardment arrived after more than ten seconds. Without suspense, the unlucky vessel, hit by 8 projectiles, once again turned into a fireball.

Then came the third round, the fourth round...

Under continuous fire, there were always lucky survivors. For example, a Pirate Gunboat, despite being hit by 6 electromagnetic projectiles continuously, could still operate normally.

But not all survived. After more than ten rounds of continuous bombing, over one Pirate Gunboat and 6 Raiders were destroyed, and the pirate fleet's main force was heavily damaged.

The surviving fleet did not live to see dawn, for the Space Fighter squadrons had finally arrived at the attack position. In one volley, hundreds of nuclear torpedoes were launched, exploding into bursts of light in space.

By the time everything settled, the battle was over. The Meteor Fleet hadn't even had time to deploy new tactics; this encountered pirate fleet had been completely annihilated.

"Not bad. The Long-Range Artillery skill has generally reached the beginner level, with several even upgrading directly to intermediate," Lin Zhichen said with a smile. Compared to mere spoils of war, these were what he valued more.

"Big Brother, the spoils have been collected. We got another Destroyer Blueprint! The rest are some odds and ends, totaling about a hundred Energy Coins," Wei Peng appeared in the holographic projection, beaming.

"Mm, pack up, let's move out," Lin Zhichen said. He had noticed that the Fleet Command skill on his panel was nearing intermediate level.

According to internal Federation intelligence, a qualified Fleet Commander needed the "Fleet Command" skill to be at least advanced level. Only at the advanced level could one competently command a small-scale fleet in normal operations.

"One more time, no, at least two more battles to complete the upgrade."

The entire fleet set off once more, slowly advancing along the trajectory of the asteroid belt.

He had no intention of establishing a base in the solar system. According to Lin Zhichen's plan, the Meteor Fleet would circle along the trajectory of the asteroid belt until it completed a full solar system cruise.

Wild NPC fleets encountered along the way, regardless of strength, would be annihilated. They would level up while earning Military Merit and increasing the Mercenary Group's level.

The second battle came sooner than expected. Just five days later, the second pirate fleet appeared before them.

"Seven Pirate Gunboats, thirty-four Pirate Raiders. In the solar system, a fleet of this scale is considered mid-tier!" Wu Tianyi said with a serious expression, looking at the radar feedback.

The private fleets of most small and medium-sized family consortiums on Earth couldn't match the scale of this NPC fleet!

"Prepare fleet formation, Space Fighters sortie, main fleet sortie!"

The formation was the same as before. The carriers stayed put, while the main fleet engaged.

Due to the lack of Cruiser support, the pirate fleet, despite its larger size, showed no improvement in battle control. By the time they realized they were under attack, the Meteor Fleet had already completed its covering fire.

Lin Zhichen sat on the "Qinyuan," feeling the vibrations of the ship. After completing an upgrade, this Frigate's turrets had doubled from 3 to 6, doubling its firepower density.

Thanks to the skill buffs and the NPC gunners' master-class Long-Range Artillery skill, the "Qinyuan's" bombardment was almost always on target, far exceeding the efficiency of the entire fleet.

Lost in thought, he suddenly sensed another increase in the efficiency of the entire fleet. What previously took about 13 seconds to complete a volley now took less than 10 seconds, around 9 seconds.

He activated the NPC crew members under his command and was pleased to find that their skills had generally entered the intermediate level.

Clearly, intense battles were the best way to improve the skill proficiency of NPC crew members. In just two battles, these crew members had gone from novice rookies to competent sailors.

With the skill upgrade, the entire fleet's combat power surged. The density of the barrage increased, which translated to the pirate fleet experiencing more pirate ships catching fire and exploding under continuous bombardment.

In just half an hour, this pirate fleet was almost crippled, with only a few Pirate Raiders precariously holding on against the Space Fighter swarm.

But this was not the end. An urgent transmission came from the carriers in the rear. It turned out that because the carriers were equipped with higher-power gravity sensors, their radar had a wider scanning range. A new pirate fleet was approaching at full speed from 4 light-seconds away, heading directly for the struggling pirate fleet.

"Is this the same pirate faction?" Wei Peng, who had been spectating passively the entire time, still had the mood to comment, "They're not coming in peace. Radar scan shows there's a Pirate Pursuit Cruiser in this fleet!"

Pirate Pursuit Cruisers, pirate ships of cruiser class, are known for their speed advantage.

"It's a Carrier-type Pursuer, they've deployed Space Fighters!" Wu Tianyi warned, looking at the radar.

Cruisers can be equipped with hangars, sacrificing firepower for a miniature aircraft carrier configuration. These modified cruisers lose their large main guns, only able to mount medium turrets. Their firepower isn't even superior to destroyers equipped with large turrets.

But they have their advantages. The modified hangar can hold 3 squadrons, totaling 36 Space Fighters!

Honestly, this number of fighters has almost no impact on the battlefield. However, when facing small warships primarily composed of destroyers and frigates, the Space Fighters' wider operational range grants them a greater intelligence advantage, allowing them to detect targets before the enemy and make preparations in advance.

Just like now, with 36 Space Fighters launched, if our side had no fighters, we would have to endure their harassment.

But reality has no "if." Seeing the enemy fighter swarm approaching, one squadron of Space Fighters immediately shifted targets, pouncing on the pirate fighter swarm.

Even the lowest-class Space Fighters have a flight speed close to one kilometer per second. Unless they are point-defense cannons specifically designed for anti-air, the only enemies Space Fighters face are other Space Fighters.

After more than ten minutes, the two sides' fighters finally engaged in the asteroid belt. Due to their superior fighter performance, Meteor was the first to detect the enemy aircraft. Thus, from a greater range, a volley of laser beams was fired.

The power of airborne laser weapons is far less than ship-based weapons, but their advantage is their speed. One fighter carries 4 Laser Cannons, and one squadron has 144 fighters. A simultaneous volley of beams rained down like a torrent, completely engulfing the pirate fighter swarm.

It was like a net of light, continuously scouring the pirate fighters.

A faint energy glow appeared, weakening the energy of the laser beams. This was an Energy Shield, exceptionally effective at reducing energy damage.

However, the attack from Meteor's fighter swarm wasn't a single volley. Under the continuous onslaught of light rain, the previously sturdy fighter hulls gradually fused, their temperatures rising to extreme levels, and they exploded into balls of flame.

Inheriting from their pirate capital ships, pirate fighters were also superior in speed but inferior in defense. After just 3 volleys of light rain, the pirate fighter swarm in space exploded on a massive scale. Fireballs lit up one after another. In almost the blink of an eye, more than half of the pirate fighters were destroyed.

Lin Zhichen, far behind, took a moment to check the Space Fighter battlefield. He saw the small light spots representing pirate fighters rapidly disappear. In just a few minutes of engagement, all the pirate fighters were destroyed.

While recalling his own fighters, he checked the pilots' skills. As expected, after a brief aerial battle, most of the NPC pilots in this squadron had reached advanced skill levels, with several even promoted to expert level.

Such highly skilled professionals would typically require several years of training and the expenditure of hundreds of Energy Coins in the Federation to cultivate batches of high-level specialists.

However, with his talent's support, the same result was achieved through just a few small-scale battles, at a negligible cost.

"It's a shame the pilots' skills are generally too low. If they were a bit higher, the fighter swarm alone could easily handle the pirate fleet."

With slight regret, Lin Zhichen commanded the fleet to launch a new round of concentrated fire on the last 3 struggling pirate ships, wiping out the enemy ships in one volley.

Relieved from the danger of being attacked from two sides, Lin Zhichen breathed a sigh of relief. He commanded the warships to quickly adjust their formations, preparing to meet the next pirate fleet.

The power of an Aircraft Carrier lies in its carrier-based aircraft. Without them, it becomes a toothless tiger. At this moment, the carrier cruiser, serving as the flagship of this pirate fleet, had a firepower intensity even less than that of a Pirate Gunboat. Its only advantage was its more powerful Radar, preventing it from being caught off guard by Electromagnetic Cannon fire.

After more than a month of engagement, Meteor Fleet had transformed from battlefield novices into skilled regular troops. Under Lin Zhichen's skill buffs, the entire fleet's formation changes were exceptionally smooth.

When the enemy ships approached within 3 light-seconds, Meteor Fleet had completed its first round of firing preparations. Electromagnetic Cannon shells shot out, concentrating fire on the leading Pirate Gunboats.

The Pirate Pursuit Cruiser's Radar quickly detected this incoming barrage of shells. The Pirate Gunboat, taking the brunt of the attack, immediately attempted to evade by turning. This maneuver avoided complete destruction, but several subsequent Electromagnetic Cannon shells still hit, heavily damaging the target.

The damaged Pirate Gunboat's speed drastically decreased, forcing it to withdraw from the combat line. To avoid their damaged ally, nearby pirate ships had to evade, immediately disrupting their previously perfect formation.

At this moment, Lin Zhichen, far behind, frowned. Because of the Pirate Pursuit Cruiser's Radar, the advantage of Long-Range Artillery couldn't be fully utilized. Furthermore, as the fleet's target positions shifted, the subsequent rounds of bombardment also failed.

"Practice is the sole criterion for testing the truth."

Suddenly recalling this saying, he finally understood his mistake. This kind of precise bombardment was meant to exploit the pirates' outdated Radar. As long as the enemy made even minor adjustments, this bombardment method would be ineffective.

Having grasped the key point, he immediately changed his firing strategy. Instead of targeting a single warship, he encompassed the entire enemy fleet within his considerations. Under his Psionic energy sensing, certain future possibilities could be discerned.

Based on the size of his fleet, he selected a few possibilities with the highest probability and sent the targets to each ship individually, resuming the bombardment.

At this point, Lin Zhichen felt new pressure. To calculate the numerous changes in the enemy fleet after being attacked, he had to increase his Psionic energy output to support accelerated thought processes. His Psionic energy sensing was also maximized. A flash of inspiration at a certain moment allowed him to lock onto the enemy ships' changes in the next ten to tens of seconds in the most efficient way.

As the combat mode shifted, before Lin Zhichen could even notice, the Fleet Command skill on his personal panel, which had been growing slowly, rapidly increased to advanced level and was quickly progressing towards expert level.

With the support of his talent, he could improve his skills in less time and with less effort than ordinary people, but that didn't mean finding the right direction for improvement was useless.

Feeling the entire fleet operating more smoothly, Lin Zhichen felt joy in his heart. This was the significance of actual combat; it always allowed one to perceive their shortcomings on the fierce battlefield.

The rate of concentrated fire had been compressed to within 10 seconds. Rounds of bombardment continued, and the pirate fleet was subjected to increasingly frequent attacks, suffering greater losses.

After the first Pirate Raider exploded, two pirate ships at their limit exploded simultaneously under the second volley.

While this scattered fire couldn't guarantee the same damage rate as concentrated fire, the extent of damage to each ship under the firepower coverage was relatively uniform.