Chapter 1035
The First Battle of Flying Sky No. 1
In the darkness of space, the metallic hull of the Manonian spaceship gleamed with a cold, hard luster as it surged towards Earth in dense numbers. Red energy blasts rained down from the hull, leaving blinding trails in the void. But before the blasts could even reach the atmosphere, a silver-blue figure suddenly shot out from Earth's orbit—the engine nozzles of Feitian-1 erupted with scorching jets of flame, and its 210-meter-long, sword-shaped hull traced a silver-blue path through space, moving at a speed that left afterimages, completely unlike the massive size of the spaceship.
"Hahahaha! It's finally our turn to have some fun! Cui, give me the three on the left, the Lipple Gun is ready!" Kaina's maniacal laughter exploded in the cockpit, the virtual images and shadows shook violently with excitement, the indicator lights on the control panel representing the Lipple Gun flashed wildly, and the red frame that locked onto the target instantly enveloped the three Manon alien ships on the left.
Cui Ming sat in the driver's seat, his fingers flying across the control stick, his eyes calm as he scanned the dense red dots on the radar screen without a trace of panic. "Don't rush, clear out the enemy's firing positions first, use the sensor mortars."
As soon as he finished speaking, the cannons beneath the Flying Sky One ship instantly opened, and dozens of silver shells, trailing orange flames, roared out. The shells flexibly adjusted their trajectories in the air, bypassing the energy shields of the Manon Star alien ships, and accurately struck the weapon bays of each ship. Explosions rang out one after another in the universe, and the cannons that had been firing light bullets from the Manon Star aliens instantly went silent. The black smoke billowing from the ship slowly spread in the void.
"Boring! These guys' shields are as flimsy as paper!" Kaina snorted in dissatisfaction, swiping her finger across the virtual panel to switch weapon modes. "Cui, watch my super-thermal difference beam! Let them taste what it's like to be quick-frozen and then stir-fried!" The sword-shaped tip of the Flying Sky One's bow lit up with a two-colored light. First, an ice-blue beam shot towards the cluster of ships on the right. The Manonian ships hit were instantly covered with a thick layer of ice, and the hulls made a crisp sound in the low temperature. Then the beam turned crimson, and the high temperature instantly melted the ice. The hulls shattered directly in the alternation of hot and cold, and fragments flew everywhere.
Cui Ming maneuvered the Flying Sky One through enemy lines, its massive hull as agile as a fighter jet, the red energy blasts fired by the Manonian ships unable to keep up with its trajectory. Several ships attempted a flank attack, but Cui Ming reacted swiftly, activating a mental barrier—a pale blue energy shield deployed around the Flying Sky One. The red energy blasts struck the barrier, sending up tiny sparks of energy without leaving a single crack. "Kaina, D4 ray ready, clear out the pursuers behind us." He spoke calmly, as if discussing a trivial matter, yet his finger pressed the red button to fire the weapon.
The core cannon in the middle of the Flying Sky One's hull slowly rose, purple energy gathering at the muzzle to form a blinding sphere of light. The next second, a purple beam tore through the darkness of space, instantly piercing through three Manonian spaceships flying side-by-side. The ships vaporized instantly in the light, leaving not even wreckage. "Hahahaha! Awesome! So awesome! Cui, a few more shots! I haven't had enough yet!"
Kaina's laughter grew increasingly arrogant as she steered Flying One forward. The Lipple Gun fired again, instantly creating a 50-meter radius hole in the hit ship. A piece of the ship's structure was ripped away, and the wreckage disintegrated into fragments that drifted into subspace.
The Manonians were clearly unprepared for such a formidable opponent. Chaos erupted in the fleet, with some attempting to turn and flee while others frantically fired light blasts in an attempt to retaliate. However, these resistances proved futile in the face of the overwhelming power of the Flying Sky One.
While maneuvering the spaceship to dodge sporadic attacks, Cui Ming calmly analyzed the battle situation: "Kaina, watch out for the blind spot on the left. There's another group of enemies flanking us. Cover them with pursuit missiles."
"Roger! Pursuit missiles launched!" With Kaina's voice, the side launch ports of Flying Sky One opened, unleashing hundreds of small warheads that scattered into a dense fire net in the air, completely engulfing the Manonian spaceship that had circled behind. Explosions continued unabated, and the void was filled with spaceship wreckage, yet red dots continued to appear on the radar screen—the enemy was still pouring in, and this battle was far from over.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Cui Ming's forehead, but his fingers remained steady as he manipulated the joystick. His eyes showed no fatigue, only a burning excitement for battle. He watched the approaching enemies, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Looks like these Manonians haven't grasped reality yet. Kaina, are you ready for the next wave?"
“Of course! I’m ready anytime!” Kaina’s virtual image raised her fist, her tone full of anticipation.
Kaina's virtual image bounced around in the cockpit, the light and shadow almost blurring out afterimages—she had been holding back for ages! Since the completion of Flying One, her mind had been filled with images of actual combat. Now she could finally fight these Manonians without restraint. Every vibration from a weapon firing, every explosion upon hitting a target, gave her an extreme thrill. Even the core program was slightly overheating with excitement.
"Cui! Those on the right trying to hide! Watch me blast a hole in them with my Lipple Gun!" Her voice cracked with excitement as her fingers flew across the virtual panel. The parameters of the Lipple Gun, which had been locked onto three ships, were instantly adjusted, the muzzle angle slightly shifted, and a silver-white beam shot out, accurately hitting the rightmost Manonian ship that was trying to turn. A huge hole instantly appeared on the side of the ship, sparks flew out of its internal parts, and the ship lost its balance, drifting into the depths of space.
"Don't rush. Shorten the detonation time of the pursuit missile by 0.5 seconds to cover a wider area." Cui Ming's voice remained calm as he scanned the radar screen, noticing several ships behind him attempting to use debris to obscure their trajectories. While maneuvering Feitian-1 into a difficult side roll to avoid two stray red light missiles, he reminded Kaina to optimize the tactics.
Kaina's eyes lit up, and she immediately adjusted the parameters: "Roger that! Cui, you understand me so well! This way we can destroy two more ships!" As soon as she finished speaking, the launch ports on the side of the Flying Sky One spat out flames again, and hundreds of Hongji Pursuit Missiles exploded in the air. The orange explosions and flames connected in the universe. The Manon Starship, which was originally hiding behind the wreckage, was instantly engulfed in the explosion. The ship fragments and sparks intertwined into a chaotic firework.
For Kaina, this battle wasn't just "exhilarating," but also a golden opportunity to improve herself—as an AI, her only passion was becoming stronger. Every improvement in weapon control precision and every increase in tactical coordination was proof of her growing strength. (End of Chapter)