Chapter 65: Mind Games Amid the Asteroid Belt

“Poyang, seven o’clock, angle down thirty-five degrees, distance one hundred seventeen thousand kilometers. There’s a small asteroid belt over there—use it for cover.”

“Chaohu, keep advancing from your current heading for seventy thousand kilometers, then turn to two o’clock and circle behind the asteroid belt. Meet up with Poyang and hold position.”

“Lancang, in fifteen seconds, fire three consecutive railgun salvos at your eleven o’clock, up seventeen degrees, aiming for area saturation. After that, pivot to five o’clock and retreat immediately.”

“Zhujiang…”

Two days.

A full, unbroken two days.

Lin Yu stopped holding back, stepping up as a true micro-control master to command all fifteen warships directly.

He broke the fleet down into fifteen independent combat units, then issued orders to each ship individually.

The command room of the Zhulong was filled with stunned staff officers left gaping at the display.

Seriously…? Captain, you’re stealing the staff’s jobs now?

Seconds later, all railgun batteries aboard the Lancang destroyer adjusted in unison, unleashing a full barrage into empty space far in the distance.

As soon as the first volley finished, the second came, then the third.

The moment the third salvo ended, the ship wheeled around and ducked behind a nearby asteroid.

And almost at the exact instant Lancang concealed itself, several Klein warships—until now unseen—emerged from behind a cluster of celestial bodies in what should’ve been empty void.

The result…

A storm of railgun slugs slammed right into those warships, catching them off guard. Before they even realized what was happening, the next two waves struck in quick succession.

The sides of three Klein ships were pummeled, left battered and riddled with craters.

Maneuvers like this—breaking up and executing precise micro-management—Lin Yu had pulled off who knows how many times in those two days.

“Divide and conquer, then micro-control to the extreme.”

Ironically, what was famously considered taboo in Fleet Command training…

Lin Yu was now applying to perfection.

Even Andrei couldn’t help but joke, maybe he’d gone to a bootleg Fleet Command class back at the academy.

As for George, he was too stunned for words.

Thinking back on his old rivalry with Lin Yu at the academy…

This guy probably never took those matches seriously at all, just treated him like a child every time.

But then…

If Lin Yu really hadn’t cared, why go to such lengths with those complicated tactics during the final exam?

Yeah, why did he?

George was actually right. Lin Yu always had countless ways to win against him.

But instead, he’d gone with the most convoluted route, totally out of character for someone like Lin Yu.

What George didn’t know was—it had all been on purpose.

Lin Yu wanted George to see his greatest weakness, hoping he’d rein in that stubborn pride.

After that, George was still proud, sure.

But compared with before, he’d definitely changed.

The simulated exam at graduation played the biggest part in that.

Of course, things like this…

Lin Yu would never tell George.

——

Compared to Lin Yu’s side, Shivana’s situation was a whole other story.

“Lady Shivana, the ships serving as bait out front were suddenly hit.”

“But we still haven’t spotted any enemy warships behind the attack.”

A Klein officer reported to Shivana, silently grumbling all the while.

Just what is with this human fleet?

Why are they moving like ghosts in the dark…?

You chase them—nothing. Get hit, and you don’t even know where it came from.

He’s never fought a war this infuriating before.

“Hmph. They’re timing it perfectly, waiting for us to show at just the right moment, unleashing three rounds of pre-planned strikes, and then vanishing before we even realize. Only a real lunatic could predict our moves like that.”

“But… can anyone actually be that precise?”

“You’re seeing it for yourself now, aren’t you?”

Shivana’s retort caught the Klein officer off guard.

Yeah…

He’s living it and he’s still doubting? What’s the point in questioning anymore?

But how do you even fight someone like this?

No matter how hard you think, there’s just no answer.

Meanwhile, Shivana was deep in thought herself.

Lin Yu was hands down the trickiest opponent she’d ever faced.

Even the Klein’s own elite commanders, Omar and Alum, couldn’t compare.

But this human? His people have never even fought an interstellar war—so how is their fleet commander this good?

It makes no sense at all!

“Let’s change our way of thinking!”

“Over these two days, how many losses have we taken?”

Shivana let out a quiet sigh, then asked.

“So far, only one small ship has been completely destroyed. Fifteen more are damaged, but most are lightly hit, still able to fight.”

The officer answered.

That’s right: Lin Yu’s record wasn’t actually that impressive over these two days.

The reason? Simple—the fleet was split up. Apart from Zhulong, none of the other ships could inflict serious damage on their own.

And the Zhulong was so large that while destroyers and frigates could slip through tight spots, it just couldn’t follow.

So, almost all the ambushes fell to the other ships.

Zhulong itself only managed one sneak attack in that time, but that one did destroy a Klein light ship.

So even if Shivana had taken a beating for these two days,

it hadn’t cost her side much at all.

“Yeah, his tactics make things tough for us, but he’s also maxed out his own limitations.”

“Without the firepower to really deal a heavy blow, even if this goes on ten more days, nothing much will change. So…”

“Don’t you all think it’s odd?”

“There’s no real benefit, yet he’s insistent on trapping us in this sector.”

“Unless…”

“He’s deliberately stalling us here!!”

Boom!

Shivana’s declaration hit every Klein officer like a thunderclap.

Deliberately…?

Stalling us here?

“Lady Shivana, you mean…”

“That’s right. It’s right here—where we first spotted their fleet!”

She pointed at a spot on the star map, her confidence absolute.

“Our first time, thanks to Tak’s blunders, we lost most of our force, but we also forced them to abandon their mining ops!”

“Normally, even though they only mined half, taking out eighty-seven of our ships was plenty of reward—enough to go home.”

“But if their commander wasn’t willing to give up a single gain, wanting it all—”

“If I’m right, he’s distracting us so their mining fleet can keep working undisturbed!”

If Lin Yu could hear Shivana right now,

he’d definitely give her an approving nod.

She really had seen through his play…

This Klein woman was honestly no lightweight.

However…

Realizing it now…

was just a little too late!