LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 55
Chapter 55: Hangar Cruiser
Old radars are not very effective at detecting kinetic weapons like electromagnetic projectiles. The projectiles, like a meteor shower, formed a net that enveloped a pirate raiding boat.
Psionic perception merged with radar waves, and the scene from light-seconds away was reflected in his senses. The targeted raiding boat was locked on and focused upon, with over a hundred projectiles raining down like falling stars.
Due to the skill level, most of the shells missed, disappearing into the darkness. However, the advantage of a volley was that with such a super-saturated strike, some lucky projectiles were bound to hit.
“Boom~”
Hit consecutively by seven projectiles, one of which was a hundred-megajoule cannon shell fired by a destroyer, the raiding boat, struck by the powerful large-caliber shell, had no chance and exploded into a ball of fire.
The pirate fleet, suddenly under attack, was stunned. Poor command meant that the fleet did not immediately scatter or execute other orders upon being ambushed. They continued to sail in their original positions, with the communication channels filled with noise.
Soon, a few seconds later, the second volley arrived. Unsurprisingly, another unfortunate raiding boat hit by eight projectiles turned into a ball of fire.
Then came the third volley, the fourth…
Under continuous fire, there were always some lucky survivors. For instance, a pirate gunboat managed to continue fighting even after being hit by six electromagnetic projectiles.
But not all were so fortunate. After a dozen rounds of continuous bombardment, more than one pirate gunboat and six raiding boats were destroyed, dealing a heavy blow to the pirate fleet’s main force.
The surviving fleet did not see the dawn, as the space fighter group finally reached their attack positions. In one volley, over a hundred nuclear torpedoes were launched, exploding into bursts of fire in space.
By the time everything settled, the battle was over. The Meteor Mercenary Group didn’t have the chance to deploy new tactics; the encountered pirate fleet had already been completely annihilated.
“Not bad, the Long-Range Bombardment skill has generally reached the beginner level, with a few even advancing to intermediate,” Lin Zhichen smiled. Compared to mere spoils of war, these were what he valued more.
“Big brother, we’ve gathered the spoils. We found another destroyer blueprint! The rest are just some odds and ends, but they can still sell for a hundred or so energy coins,” Wei Peng appeared in the holographic projection, beaming.
“Alright, tidy up, and let’s move out,” Lin Zhichen said. He had already noticed that his Fleet Command skill on his panel was nearing the intermediate level.
According to internal Federation information, a qualified fleet commander should have the Fleet Command skill at least at the advanced level. Only at the advanced level could one proficiently command a small-scale fleet in normal combat.
“One more time, no, at least two more battles, and I can complete the upgrade.”
The entire fleet set off once again, slowly advancing along the trajectory of the asteroid belt.
Not planning to establish a base in the solar system, according to Lin Zhichen’s plan, the Meteor Fleet would circle along the asteroid belt’s trajectory until completing a full solar system patrol.
Any wild NPC fleets encountered along the way, regardless of their strength, would be eradicated. This would allow them to level up and gain military merits, thereby raising the mercenary group’s rank.
The second battle came sooner than expected. Just five days later, a second pirate fleet appeared before them.
“Seven pirate gunboats and thirty-four pirate raiding boats. In the solar system, this fleet size is already considered medium!” Wu Tianyi’s expression was somewhat serious as he looked at the radar feedback.
Most private fleets of medium and small family corporations on Earth couldn’t match the scale of this NPC fleet!
“Prepare fleet formation, space fighters launch, main fleet engage!”
The formation remained the same as before, with the carrier staying behind while the main fleet engaged.
Lacking cruiser support, the pirate fleet was larger but had no improvement in battle control. By the time they realized they were under attack, the Meteor Mercenary Group had already completed a saturation bombardment.
Lin Zhichen sat on the “Qinyuan,” feeling the vibrations of the hull. After an upgrade, the number of turrets on this frigate had doubled from three to six, effectively doubling its firepower density.
Due to the skill enhancements and the master-level Long-Range Bombardment skills of the NPC gunners, the “Qinyuan’s” bombardment was almost always on target, far exceeding the efficiency of the entire fleet.
As he pondered, he suddenly noticed that the fleet’s overall efficiency had improved again. What originally took about 13 seconds to complete a volley now took just under 10 seconds, approximately 9 seconds.
He checked the NPC crew members in his fleet and was pleased to find that their skills had generally advanced to the intermediate level.
Clearly, intense combat was the best way to improve the skill proficiency of NPC crew members. In just two battles, these crew members had upgraded from green rookies to competent sailors.
With the skill upgrades, the combat effectiveness of the entire fleet suddenly increased. The density of the projectile rain significantly increased, resulting in more pirate ships catching fire and exploding under continuous bombardment.
In just half an hour, this pirate fleet was nearly decimated, with only a few pirate raiding boats left, struggling under the encirclement of the fighter group.
But this was not the end. At this moment, an urgent transmission came from the carrier in the rear. Because the carrier was equipped with higher-powered gravity sensors, its radar scanning range was broader. Four light-seconds away, a new pirate fleet was rushing towards them at full speed, targeting the struggling pirate fleet.
“Is this from the same pirate faction?” Wei Peng, who had been leisurely observing the battle, still had the mood to comment, “They come with ill intentions. Radar scans show that this fleet includes a pirate pursuit ship!”
A pirate pursuit ship, a cruiser-class pirate vessel, was renowned for its speed advantage.
“It’s a carrier-type pursuer. The enemy has launched space fighters!” Wu Tianyi noted, looking at the radar.
Cruisers could be equipped with hangars, sacrificing firepower to become mini-carriers. Such modified cruisers lose their large main cannons and could only be fitted with medium-sized turrets, making their firepower not much stronger than destroyers equipped with large turrets.
But they had an advantage: the modified hangar could carry three squadrons, which meant 36 space fighters!
To be honest, this number of fighters would hardly impact the battlefield. However, if they were facing smaller warships like destroyers and frigates, the space fighters’ broader operational range would provide significant intelligence advantages, allowing them to detect targets earlier and make preemptive arrangements.
Just like now, with 36 space fighters launched, if their side had no fighters, they would have to endure the enemy’s harassment.
But reality has no “ifs.” Seeing the enemy fighter group approaching, one squadron of their space fighters immediately redirected their target, rushing towards the pirate fighter group.