The entire body of the Night-Illuminating Jade Lion was painted pitch-black, so it reflected no light at all—not even the bright glow of ion beams. Like a storm petrel cutting through the waves, it forced its way out of the dense web of intercepting fire.
The black fighter strode through the sky with reckless swagger, skimming just twenty or thirty meters above the silver, arcing mirror surface. Two proton torpedoes wreathed in radiant light then dropped from its bomb bay and plunged toward the narrow exhaust port, almost impossible to make out. Like rats slipping into a cave, they vanished without a trace.
"Wahahaha! That's what I call a winning bombing run! I couldn't squeeze in there, but my torpedoes can!" Though there was no proof yet that the attack had succeeded, Chief Gong Ao was already laughing heartily. He pulled his fighter into a climb.
Two oddly shaped enemy craft pursued him. They looked like spheres with a pair of solar panels attached, and they poured energy shells after him in a furious barrage. The black fighter dodged them all with flashy maneuvers.
Still, it had to be admitted: though the spherical fighters looked strange, their performance was outstanding. They weren't especially fast in a straight line, but they were highly maneuverable and packed tremendous firepower.
Even with Gong Ao's piloting skills, if this tail chase continued for another few minutes, he would probably have no way to avoid getting shot down.
Fortunately, the dangerous situation didn't last long. A dozen seconds later, the strange spherical fighters were intercepted by the White Devil fighters, which had caught up from behind and to the side. The new Earth-made fighters unfurled their light wings, swept around behind the enemy craft at an almost unbelievable speed, and fired missiles at close range.