Somewhere in the Light Dust Star Cluster, the forces led by Tenny were attacked by a new wave of attacks. While exchanging fire with the enemy on the move using Primal Psionic Energy, they also sent out small assault ships to shuttle through the complex battlefield, constantly closing in on the enemy, intending to engage in boarding combat. This was the nemesis of the Kunde Race fleet, which had no superhumans.
In previous battles, Tenny had been letting the Black Star Army slack off, his intention to protect them was too obvious. In order to balance the opinions of his other subordinates, he put the Black Star Army in charge of the main battle when they encountered a small group of enemies this time.
In the complex battlefield, a small, shuttle-shaped warship nimbly performs various maneuvers, weaving through crisscrossing energy cannons and avoiding ever-expanding Primal Psionic Energy clusters.
Inside the cabin, armed landing squads were already on standby in their respective assault bays, and Nero's team was one of the squads deployed on this spaceship.
The interior of the assault cabin was a dark, iron-gray color, with only a row of red indicator lights flashing on the ceiling, casting a red hue on everyone's faces. Neatly arranged on the metal walls were rows of electromagnetic discs emitting blue light. All the members of Nero's team stood in two rows, their backs against different electromagnetic discs, allowing their combat suits to be electromagnetically attracted to their backs for stability.
The spaceship was undergoing a high-difficulty flight, and the assault cabin was also shaking slightly. The beams of the ship's cannons constantly flashed past the window, and Nero's face turned pale, feeling a little scared.
"Kid, don't be afraid. Our spaceship is far more maneuverable than the enemy's; they can't hit us."
The captain, clad in heavy armor, chuckled and patted Nero on the shoulder.
People who say things like that are usually going to get into trouble the next second... Nero couldn't help but think to himself.
The academy had simulation courses on landing in assault pods, and Nero was familiar with all the precautions, but he still felt nervous facing a real combat environment.
"This is your first time fighting alongside us since joining the team. Let's see your actual combat capabilities. Don't hold us back," the captain said with a grin.
"Understood." Nero let out a breath and clenched his fist.
Waiting in the assault cabin was an agonizing experience; time seemed to stretch on endlessly. Nero didn't know how much time had passed when suddenly an instruction notification sounded inside the cabin.
"Target locked. Deployment of the assault pod is scheduled for 45 seconds. Prepare for combat! I repeat, prepare for combat!"
The countdown appeared on the screen at the door of the assault cabin. Upon seeing this, Nero's heart tightened instantly. He turned his head and saw that all his teammates' faces were tense.
"Final equipment check!" the captain shouted, his tone serious.
Everyone was already prepared, but they still checked it one more time, and Nero also activated the mech's self-check once more.
He was currently equipped with a custom-made mech that he had personally modified. The second generation of the Sphere could utilize a lot of resources to create the mech using rare materials, making its performance superior to the standard armor of the Black Star Army.
Although as a person, Nero could have obtained armor crafted by more advanced mechanics, he preferred to study new blueprints on his own.
The prototype of this mecha was the Mountain Ape that Han Xiao had used before, but Nero did not have such advanced mechanical skills. He used a simplified and scaled-down version that he personally modified, naming the mecha "Steel Ape," which was mainly designed for close combat.
As a serious but fragile mechanic, Nero's first consideration when creating armor was surprisingly melee combat ability... Under the influence of Han Xiao and Mia, Nero also developed a strong liking for close-quarters combat.
Nero's current rank is C+, but with [Perfect Mechanical Sense] and the ordinary mechanical expertise he has acquired over the years, his actual mechanical ability can reach the Grade B, and the quality of the equipment he creates far exceeds that of his peers.
"Ready, ten seconds countdown!"
Hearing the captain shout, Nero took a deep breath, and with a thought, put on his mech mask and, together with his teammates, assumed a combat-ready stance.
Rumble!
The next moment, a tremendous propulsive force suddenly surged into their bodies, the bulkheads shook violently, and the assault pod was launched with a roar.
The screen displays the positions of the target and our own forces, and the distance between them is rapidly decreasing.
Bang!
The entire assault cabin shook violently, snapped into the enemy ship, and its built-in laser cutter swiftly sliced a gash in the enemy ship's outer armor before crashing into the enemy ship's interior.
The gate swung open with a bang, revealing a chaotic enemy ship passageway. Without hesitation, everyone followed their captain out of the assault cabin and began sweeping away the enemies on board.
The enemy reinforcements arrived quickly, and the squad encountered a large number of enemies.
The warriors of the Kunde Race have all undergone genetic modification. Although they are not superhumans and do not possess various strange abilities, they have good physical qualities. Their basic attributes are roughly equivalent to characters of level 25 to 45, which is between Grade E and Grade D. With various combat armor, their combat power is not weak.
The squad was trapped in the middle of a passage, and enemy reinforcements surged in from both sides, advancing step by step, armed with guns and constantly firing towards the center.
Nero threw out a compressed ball early on, which transformed into a miniature armed fortress to protect the squad. The armored walls and large-scale shields blocked the pincer attack from the Kunde Race soldiers on both sides, and the team returned fire from inside the fortress.
"Good job, kid."
The captain encouraged Nero, then pointed to the vice-captain and said decisively, "Let's launch an assault. I'll take the lead, and you'll take the rear. Nero, you set up the artillery and mechs in the rear to provide cover for us."
After saying that, the captain led a group of team members straight out of the fortress and charged forward under the gunfire. The advantage of being a superhuman was that he could overwhelm the enemy in individual combat power. As long as he charged into the crowd, he could unleash his full power.
Nero steadied himself and immediately threw out a large number of compressed balls, which transformed into various turrets.
Thump thump thump--
The turrets fired at the enemies on both sides, providing cover for their teammates.
With the enhancement of his Mechanical Force, the ranged weapons were incredibly powerful, instantly tearing apart the formation of the Kunde Race soldiers on both sides, blasting through shields and outer armor, and blowing Kunde Race soldiers to pieces, their bodily fluids splattering all over the bulkheads and the ground.
Instantly slaying a large number of enemies, streams of gray energy flowed into the Death Mark on the back of Nero's hand. This was a small gift Hila had given him long ago; the more enemies he killed, the more his mental strength would slowly increase. Only now was Nero truly making use of this mark.
With his firepower support, his teammates easily broke through the formation of the Kunde Race soldiers and slaughtered them mercilessly.
Many of Nero's teammates took notice of his performance and secretly admired him.
"This newcomer is really hot."
Are normal Grade C mechanics really that powerful?
"This kid's got some skills; no wonder he's connected to Lord Black Star."
The squad advanced rapidly, but enemy reinforcements continued to pour in, all charging forward fearlessly. The casualties were heavy, and the situation was extremely dire.
In particular, the martial artists led by the captain possess extremely powerful punches and kicks. While they might not be able to shatter the enemy's armor, their surging martial aura is enough to kill the Kunde Race soldiers inside the armor.
The sight of mangled corpses scattered on the ground made Nero feel uneasy; even with the air filtered by his mecha mask, he could still faintly smell the pungent stench of blood.
The Kunde Race's fearless attitude of sacrificing themselves slightly shocked Nero, but he and his teammates showed no mercy in their killing, and almost all the Kunde Race soldiers who rushed up were killed without resistance.
He was just nervous because it was his first time facing real combat, but he didn't feel any pity for the enemy. The legion had targeted training in this regard.
However, Nero's tension was mixed with a hint of excitement; he didn't want to stay in the back providing cover fire forever.
As a mechanic from the Black Star, his melee instincts were surging, and he couldn't resist rushing in to show off his close-quarters combat skills several times, but he was afraid of being criticized by his teammates.
Just then, a teammate suddenly exclaimed in surprise over the squad's communication channel.
As Kunde Race soldiers surrounded and attacked Black Star Army warriors who were close behind, one of his teammates' shields was broken, and he was immediately subjected to concentrated fire. His armor was severely damaged, and black smoke billowed from his body. He staggered backward under the recoil, as if he had fallen into a brief state of dizziness.
A large group of Kunde Race soldiers drew high-frequency daggers from their waists, pounced on the man, pinned him down, and frantically stabbed him with their daggers.
This teammate was a Grade C martial artist with strong physical abilities and an aura that blazed out from his body. He struggled and knocked away one enemy after another. However, a continuous stream of enemies fearlessly pounced on him. The two sides were locked in a fierce battle, and he was stabbed several times, ending up in a dangerous situation.
Just as his teammates were about to turn around to help, a dark figure suddenly rushed up from behind, knocking away a large group of Kunde Race soldiers like a bowling ball knocking down a bunch of pins. It was Nero, whose desire for close combat had finally been unleashed.
Several nearby Kunde Race turned to attack Nero. Nero's tactical screen displayed the trajectory of the enemy's attack. Following the instructions, he quickly dodged and crouched, his movements fluid and graceful. The enemy's dagger grazed the mech's shield and missed, leaving a trail of energy sparks.
Nero flicked out his wrist blade as he dodged, slashing and thrusting with incredible speed. The blade sliced through the enemy's armor and body as easily as cutting tofu, the cold edge drawing out scalding blood as he killed them all.
After helping his teammates out of trouble, Nero didn't go back to the rear to focus on firing the cannons. Instead, he charged back into the enemy ranks, cutting down one enemy after another and turning their formation upside down.
Watching his enemies fall one by one beneath his wrist blade, Nero felt a surge of satisfaction.
--As expected, a true mechanic should engage in melee combat! This is the style of a mechanic!
Upon seeing this, the captain's face flashed with surprise.
Although he knew that Nero, who had temporarily joined the team, was probably the strongest member, they hadn't fought side by side before today and didn't know each other's abilities very well.
Seeing Nero carve a bloody path through the enemy with the ease of cutting through vegetables, the captain began to have some doubts:
"Why does a perfectly good mechanic always rush into melee combat for no reason? What's wrong with him...?"
Faced with a group of superhumans, the Kunde Race soldiers in the spaceship had little ability to resist, and the battle did not last long before the enemy was annihilated.
Blue-green bloodstains covered the command room. All the enemy ship's crew members had been killed. Everyone put away their weapons and breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Nero retrieved the compressed ball, slightly distracted and lost in thought, seemingly still savoring the battle that had just taken place.
Seeing this, the captain walked over to Nero, put his arm around his shoulder, and said with a smile, "You played well just now. How did it feel? Still not used to it?"
"I... I'm much better." Nero quickly waved his hand; after a real battle, he was no longer so tense.
Although he was a little nervous at first, he gradually got into the swing of things and felt more and more relaxed. The hand-to-hand combat was exhilarating and made him feel very comfortable.
He didn't feel much discomfort after killing someone. First, the species is different, so the psychological impact is not high. Second, superhumans themselves have a certain mental resilience and can easily accept all kinds of cruel scenes. Third, after possessing extraordinary power, one's mentality will change, and one will want to use whatever power one has.
"It's the first time, it's always like this. A little blood is nothing to worry about, you'll get used to it after a while," the captain said casually. "If you feel uncomfortable, you can come to me, I'll give you some advice from someone who's been there, free of charge."
"Thank you, but I don't need it."
Nero smiled, slightly moved. After fighting side by side, he couldn't help but feel a sense of camaraderie with this team, and their relationship grew much closer.
Nero's first life-or-death battle went smoothly, which boosted his confidence considerably. The skirmish itself did not last long, and the defeat of the Kunde Race fleet was a foregone conclusion. The Imperial fleet quickly began to clean up the battlefield.
On the main ship, Tenny watched as the Black Star Army's ships, which had been sent to fight, were mostly intact and returned to their units, and nodded calmly.
He was quite satisfied that the Black Star Army suffered few casualties. As the commander, he had many ways to help the Black Star Army reduce casualties, and he planned to use this as a way to repay Han Xiao.
"Beep beep."
Just then, the communicator suddenly rang.
Tenny glanced at it, his expression changed slightly, and he immediately answered the call, his tone carrying a hint of respect:
"Lord Black Star, I was planning to visit you after the war, but I didn't expect you to contact me first."
"We haven't talked in a long time, and I happen to have something to ask you." It was Han Xiao calling.
"I wonder what brings you here?" Tenny disliked small talk and asked directly.
"I heard you want to protect the Black Star Army's troops?"
"Yes." Tenny nodded.
"Hehe, this is what I wanted to ask you. You don't need to protect my people too much. I'm sending them to participate in the war, partly for recruitment and partly for training." Han Xiao raised an eyebrow and smiled.
"I understand now." Upon hearing this, Tenny didn't waste any more words. Since the person in charge had spoken, he wouldn't refuse.
"Also, I hope you can take good care of this person..."
Han Xiao sent Nero's information to Tenny, a strange smile playing on his lips.
"This kid is my student, and I want him to get more experience. If it's convenient, give him as many fighting opportunities as possible... Also, if he encounters any unexpected situations, I'll be the one training him. Don't be surprised."
He felt he still had some conscience and didn't interfere with Nero's first battle to build confidence.
However, he was about to take action, so he came over to inform Tenny first.
Tenny glanced at the information and nodded. "I'll take care of it."
"Then I'll trouble you. I'll wait for you in the Gaolu Star Cluster after the war is over, and we can have a proper chat then."
"Good."
After ending the communication, Tenny looked at Nero's file again and muttered to himself:
"Black Star's students... well, they need to be properly arranged."
Meanwhile, another mixed legion, commanded by an Imperial officer, had just finished an encounter battle in another area, cleared the battlefield, and continued its march.
The commander-in-chief, who had just finished directing a battle, went to rest, and the work was temporarily taken over by the deputy commander. Gaud, the commander-in-chief's adjutant, also got a short rest.
After greeting his colleagues, Gaud returned to his room, took off his officer's uniform, and went into the washroom, where the sound of running water soon filled the air.
After taking a shower, Gaud wrapped a towel around himself, stood shirtless in front of the mirror, and carefully examined his body.
Pale skin, tall and thin build, plain appearance...
Gazing into the mirror, Gaud raised his hand and stroked his face in the mirror, a half-smile playing on his lips.
"A young body... that's wonderful."