Chapter 33: The Bai Ze Mech Dominates the Battlefield

“Bai Jun, how many did you take down?”

“Six!”

“Pathetic. I already knocked out eight!”

“How is that my fault? I’m piloting the long-range model—it’s all about kill efficiency. Every time a meeting ends it takes half a minute just to recharge!”

“See? What’s so great about long-range anyway? Close combat is where the real thrill is!”

“You really…”

So, what exactly is the Bai Ze Mech for?

Much like how the Zhulong-class warship is considered a next-gen battleship, the Bai Ze Mech is a next-gen carrier weapon, meant to replace current carrier-based fighters.

And since we’re talking about next-gen, it needs something revolutionary.

Not just in one area either. Total, all-around breakthroughs—that’s what earns the name next-gen.

Take the cockpit for example.

It’s a chamber entirely filled with a special liquid.

Besides life support, it can eliminate 99.9% of g-forces, letting pilots control the mech’s countless propulsion units and pull off wild maneuvers at high speeds.

For instance, you could be flying forward at max speed and suddenly dodge sideways.

A normal fighter simply can’t do that.

Even if you could, the pilot inside wouldn’t survive.

But the Bai Ze Mech can pull it off easily, all thanks to its many thrusters.

Take Andrei’s close-combat model for example—he’s got a ridiculous thirty-eight thrusters packed all over his mech.

So when it comes to space maneuvering, fighters can’t even hold a candle to mechs.

Plus, their larger size lets mechs carry small cold fusion reactors, giving them the juice for long, intense battles.

They can even, after sacrificing a bit of mobility, arm the long-range models with small-caliber ion weapons.

Originally, the Federation planned to keep testing these three Bai Ze Mechs for another three to five years, and even after finalizing the designs, only roll them out in small batches.

But now…

There’s no time left.

And Headquarters on the Moon thinks mechs are better suited for asteroid belt combat than fighters, so…

They decided to slash development time to the bone—build a batch for the war now, questions later!

Any other issues can wait until after the battle.

Even the Zhulong’s flight deck was specially designed for the Bai Ze, hence the double-rail launch system.

That’s because, when launching, the mechs lock their legs onto separate rails.

As the banter continued on the comms,

Lin Yu listened but didn’t chime in—just quietly dropped two sets of numbers.

“Eighteen!”

“Oh, and four assault ships, too!”

At that moment, Bai Jun and Andrei instantly clammed up.

Both of them together only managed sixteen, while Lin Yu alone took out eighteen—plus four assault ships!

This guy…

He graduated from the Command Department, but even in piloting he’s reached the peak of humanity.

A total monster.

Nope, we can’t compare ourselves to a freak like him…

“What’s next? We just storm in?”

The channel went quiet for a moment before Andrei spoke up.

In his mind, the 77th Fighter Squadron was down to just seventeen interceptors—nothing to worry about.

They could simply run right over them.

Lin Yu made it clear before: the point this time is to show the terrifying power of the mechs.

And if nothing goes wrong, the 77th will be the first unit to receive the mechs and use them in real combat.

So today’s job is to make them realize—firsthand—just how much stronger these next-gen mechs are compared to old warplanes.

That way, they’ll be more likely to accept the new gear and throw themselves into training.

Because…

For centuries, humanity has had a deep-seated resistance to mechs.

People see them as flashy but useless—bad for real warfare.

Lin Yu thought for a while, then shook his head at Andrei’s suggestion.

Because in his mind…

It’s just not shocking enough!

“No. Let me go alone!”

“What, alone?”

Andrei was stunned.

All three of them just crushed twenty-four fighters, sure, but that was only thanks to the three different Bai Ze mechs working together.

Not to mention, they caught the enemy off guard—wiping out a third right away.

Then they exploited the chaos to mop up the rest.

But this time…

The enemy’s down to seventeen, but they’re prepared now, on full alert.

And most importantly, there’s Si Rong out there.

Since the Fifth Fleet was formed three years ago, he’s won the Golden Helmet every year.

He’s easily one of the top pilots in the entire fleet.

Facing seventeen at once, plus an ace like that—can Lin Yu really handle it alone?

“That’s final. Just watch from the rear.”

“Fine, you’re the big boss!”

Andrei didn’t argue anymore.

He let go of his controls and decided to sit back and watch the show.

In the long-range Bai Ze Mech behind them, Bai Jun could only chuckle.

But unlike Andrei, he kept his hands on the sticks.

He raised his ion sniper rifle and watched the scene through the scope.

After all, this thing could pick up plenty of detail.

——

“Target spotted! Bearing, 58 kilometers ahead, 27 degrees up!”

“Just one. Database can’t identify the model—they’re coming straight for us!”

The pilot of Second Squadron’s lead fighter shouted over the comms.

“Copy. C5 formation! Ziming, you take your group on the perimeter and look for an opening. I’ll handle the bait and keep an eye out for any hidden threats!”

“Roger that, Captain!”

The seventeen fighters rapidly shifted formation.

Sixteen formed a ring, while Captain Si Rong’s fighter took center.

158 kilometers.

Sounds far, doesn’t it?

But for space fighters, that’s point blank.

Especially since they’re heading straight for each other—it’s even closer.

In just a few seconds, the distance dropped to under ten kilometers.

“Open fire!”

“Roger!”

All seventeen fighters unleashed their electromagnetic rapid-fire cannons at once.

Countless projectiles flew like tongues of flame, all aimed at Lin Yu.

Their teamwork was flawless. Not all shots targeted Lin Yu—ahead of that, sixteen fighters aimed around him, creating a net to block any dodging moves.

The field wasn’t too wide, of course.

They only needed to cover a few dozen meters around him.

Because…

At such high speed, the best you could do was twitch—a sharp turn would tear a fighter apart, maybe the pilot too.

Even trying it would rip the plane, never mind the human inside.

To them, this attack was a sure thing.

Until…

“What!?” x17

The very next second.

Everyone stared in shock.

Something impossible was happening. At least, radar showed their target suddenly veering to the side.

How could anyone make that kind of turn at such speed?

Even if the machine could take it, what about the pilot?

Wait…

Is this thing… unmanned?