Chapter 43: Close-Combat Skirmish

Words : 1514 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

The distance between the two forces was now only 30,000 kilometers. Xiao Yu maneuvered the fleet to decelerate, preparing for close-quarters combat. At this range, the energy loss from laser cannon beams before hitting their targets was minimal. These laser cannons would become another nightmare for the enemy. Before the two sides made direct contact, Xiao Yu had already launched three waves of attacks. The first was the giant flash grenades, which caused the light-sensitive enemy’s formation to become slightly disorganized. The second wave was an endless torrent of bullets and thousands of micro-missiles. This wave completely disrupted the enemy’s attack formation and likely derailed their plans. At this distance, high-power laser cannons could operate at peak efficiency. Too far, and energy loss was excessive; too close, and the risk of friendly fire during melee combat made their use impractical. The current 30,000-kilometer range was perfect for utilizing the laser cannons. The fact that the enemy hadn’t used laser cannons against Xiao Yu indicated that his attacks had inflicted significant damage, leaving them scrambling to respond. The third wave of attacks came in the form of hundreds of high-energy laser beams. These beams caused catastrophic damage, piercing the enemy ships and crippling their life support systems. Xiao Yu observed vast amounts of gas escaping from breaches in their hulls. The effectiveness of the bullet storm and micro-missiles thrilled Xiao Yu. He even considered withdrawing and relying solely on these weapons to destroy the enemy. However, after some thought, he abandoned the idea. At this close range, turning back was no longer an option. Ahead, countless explosions continued to erupt, blooming like fireworks in the void illuminated by the giant flash grenades. Occasionally, enemy ships disintegrated violently, their engines destroyed by precision bullet strikes. The fiery destruction resembled beautiful flowers blossoming silently in the expanse of space. This spectacular scene was like a silent play. If sound could travel in the vacuum of space, the intensity and grandeur of this moment would surpass the most dramatic space battle scenes depicted in films. The enemy fleet, numbering over 500 ships, had already lost at least 50 ships to Xiao Yu’s relentless attacks. Nearly 100 more had sustained varying degrees of damage, significantly diminishing their overall combat strength. The enemy’s ships were indeed more advanced and heavily armed than Xiao Yu’s. However, in this probing phase before full engagement, their casualty rate was far higher. The combination of human ingenuity and immense computational power gave Xiao Yu a decisive advantage in terms of soft power. Xiao Yu’s assault continued unabated. In fact, both sides had been firing continuously, with bullets crisscrossing the battlefield. Yet, 70% of the bullets aimed at Xiao Yu were intercepted, while only a small fraction of the bullets targeting the alien fleet were neutralized. Xiao Yu noticed that, after the initial chaos, the enemy fleet’s formation was gradually stabilizing. Their bullet interception rate was improving, and high-energy laser beams began targeting Xiao Yu’s ships, causing damage. Meanwhile, the distance between the fleets had shrunk to less than 3,000 kilometers. The brutal close-combat phase of the battle was imminent. “Come on, come on, who’s afraid of who?” Xiao Yu shouted excitedly as he charged forward fearlessly. The ferocious melee began. The formation of both fleets dissolved as ships from both sides infiltrated each other’s ranks. Hundreds, even thousands of ships engaged in chaotic pursuits and violent clashes over vast areas spanning tens of thousands of kilometers. At this critical moment, the thousands of micro-satellites Xiao Yu had launched earlier came into play. These tiny, rudimentary satellites quietly hid in space, using the illumination from the giant flash grenades to gather battlefield data. They transmitted this information back to Xiao Yu, providing invaluable references for commanding the fleet. The battlefield was a chaotic maelstrom of flying bullets, roaring missiles, erratically maneuvering spacecraft, and crisscrossing laser beams. In such a frenzied melee, any ship that let its guard down for even a moment would be pummeled from all directions and explode in an instant. This was a war scene far beyond human imagination. Any attempt to describe it in words seemed pale and inadequate. Thousands of ships fired countless bullets in every direction. Xiao Yu saw one enemy ship relentlessly chasing one of his own, unleashing a torrent of bullets with an air of invincibility. But in the next moment, it was struck by a barrage of laser beams and bullets from several nearby ships and exploded into a fiery blaze. Thousands of micro-satellites, hidden in the dark expanse of space, provided Xiao Yu with real-time, comprehensive, and detailed battlefield imagery. If not for the occasional obstruction caused by ships and explosions, Xiao Yu could have tracked the trajectory of every single bullet in the battlefield. The computational demands of this feat were immense. The central computer’s utilization rate had reached 95%. In the main control room of The Solar, tens of thousands of photon CPUs submerged in a liquid hydrogen cooling pool emitted so much heat that the cooling pool was on the verge of boiling. Thanks to Xiao Yu’s custom cooling system, the temperature was barely kept in check. Watching the scene, Xiao Yu sighed inwardly. “Under normal circumstances, my central computer is sufficient. But in a war requiring such immense computational power, its limits are becoming evident. Once this enemy is dealt with, I must prioritize constructing a new generation of computers.” The stronger the computational power, the more precise Xiao Yu’s control over the battlefield could be. He had estimated that if his computing power were doubled, the damage rate to his ships could be reduced by 20%. Even amid the chaos, where Xiao Yu couldn’t grasp every detail of the battlefield, the information he did have enabled him to accomplish seemingly impossible feats. Every bullet fired by Xiao Yu’s ships was calculated meticulously. This ensured that each bullet was used to its maximum potential, with virtually no risk of friendly fire. Even the ricochet trajectories of bullets hitting enemy ships had been accounted for. Xiao Yu’s vast computational power was pushed to its limits. While controlling nearly ten thousand laser guns for defense, he simultaneously directed his ships to engage in dogfights and utilized high-rate machine guns and high-powered laser cannons to attack the enemy. His fleet of 600 ships, under Xiao Yu’s precise control, functioned as a single cohesive unit. Every minor action he commanded achieved maximum results with minimal resource expenditure. To Xiao Yu, the entire battlefield appeared as a three-dimensional simulation in his mind. In this virtual representation, each ship, bullet, and laser beam was a string of data, annotated with position, speed, direction, and energy levels. Using this data, Xiao Yu calculated and orchestrated every move of his fleet. Every bullet fired, every ship maneuver, and every laser beam was backed by Xiao Yu’s overarching grasp of the situation. After half an hour of fierce combat, Xiao Yu realized that he had miscalculated earlier. His fleet was slowly being suppressed by the enemy. “My soft power far surpasses theirs, but our hard power disparity isn’t as small as I had estimated,” Xiao Yu reflected. Despite his unparalleled control, the overall damage rate of Xiao Yu’s ships in close combat was higher than that of the enemy. This indicated that Xiao Yu’s superior soft power was insufficient to bridge the gap in hard power. The brutal battle continued. Among the most striking players in the conflict was the enemy’s flagship, the largest ship on the battlefield. Its armor was the sturdiest, its defenses the most advanced, and it wielded an as-yet-unidentified special weapon. It moved through the warzone like a terrifying predator, taking less than a minute to destroy a smaller ship. The enemy’s flagship was larger than The Tianyuan. In addition to the flagship, the enemy had two other large ships not inferior to The Tianyuan. Although Xiao Yu had destroyed part of the enemy fleet and his control over his ships was far superior, these three massive ships kept the situation from tipping in his favor. “If my computational power were doubled, perhaps I could turn the tide with just these 600 ships,” Xiao Yu thought, sighing. “As of now, 80 Village-Class ships and 15 Town-Class ships have been destroyed. The Tianyuan is lightly damaged but retains combat capability. On the enemy side, of their original 400 ships, 60 have been destroyed. However, their three largest ships remain fully operational, retaining both firepower and mobility.” When it came to direct combat, the enemy’s superior hard power became evident. Their ships were faster, more heavily armed, and more maneuverable than Xiao Yu’s. Without Xiao Yu’s exceptional control, his fleet would have already been utterly defeated. That Xiao Yu had held out this long was a testament to his superhuman resilience. Undoubtedly, his fleet had left a nightmare-inducing impression on the aliens. “Dammit, this won’t do. Time to reinforce the fleet.” Xiao Yu muttered a curse and brought The Voyager and 40 reserve ships into the fray.

Chapter 43: Close-Combat Skirmish

Comments (0)