Chapter 1461
They're cheating!
EDF was at a disadvantage when fighting the Star Guides back then, entirely because the other side cheated!
They travel through time to precisely target your deployments. You move your tank formations to the east, and the Star Guides appear in the west; you send air strikes to point A, and they emerge from point B. Every movement is clearly visible, every tactic is predicted in advance, and every barrage of fire hits empty air. This enemy is absurd… it's not normal warfare, it's a one-sided, transparent massacre.
So, it's not that there's a problem with EDF's operations; it's that the enemy is targeting them specifically!
The EDF soldiers weren't lacking in courage, their commanders weren't lacking in shrewdness, and their tactics weren't lacking in excellence. The problem was that when facing an enemy who could travel through time at will and predict all your actions, even the best tactics become a joke. No matter how much firepower you build, they'll avoid it in advance; no matter how many traps you set, they'll dismantle them beforehand. That's not fighting a war; that's being mocked.
For most enemies, EDF's fire coverage tactics are effective.
Ordinary enemies who cannot travel through time, cannot foresee the future, and cannot resurrect indefinitely will have only one fate when faced with the EDF's saturation bombardment—to be reduced to ashes. Missiles bombard the ground, artillery ravages the land, air strikes cover the area, and then ground troops go in to collect the corpses. Standard procedure, efficient and concise, with extremely low casualties and an extremely high win rate.
Cui Ming also inherited the excellent tradition of EDF's firepower coverage.
Upon arriving at TPC, he adopted this entire system verbatim. Elite squad infiltration, individual heroism, close-quarters combat—all were discarded. Encountering a cosmic monster? First, send reconnaissance aircraft to confirm its coordinates, then aerial missile barrage, followed by tank formations extending artillery fire, and finally mech formations sweeping with beams. Once the smoke clears, send a few people up to check if anything is still mobile; if so, fire a finishing shot; if not, take photos and write a report.
Guided by this tactic, TPC, under the command of Choi Ming, defeated many cosmic monsters.
Those cosmic cockroaches that tried to sneak into the city amidst the chaos were blasted to ash by N2 bombs; those unidentified creatures emerging from the sea were reduced to dust by the main guns of warships; those bizarre shapes that crawled out of the mountains were flattened by fighter squadrons. There were no thrilling close-quarters battles, no desperate counterattacks, only overwhelming flames and deafening explosions. The monsters hadn't even seen what humans looked like before they were rendered unable to function.
This is Cui Ming's style.
That was also the only truth EDF taught him.
Explode first, then ask questions.
It saves trouble, saves worry, and saves lives.
Choi Myung's theory also influenced Daigo.
Daigo isn't thinking about transforming into anything right now; he's thinking about blowing things up first!
Let's have a good blast first, then we'll talk!
The old Daigo, upon seeing a monster, would first reach for his Spark Lens, then shout "Tiga!", and finally get slapped away by the monster. Now it's different. The current Daigo, upon seeing a monster, first checks his ammunition levels, then locks onto the target, and finally presses the launch button to fire all the missiles.
"Daigo! Left! Three o'clock! Missile coverage!"
"understand!"
Shinjo gripped the control stick, veins bulging on his forehead, his fingers frantically tapping the launch button. From beneath the wings of the Flying Swallow, missiles rained down like dumplings being dropped into boiling water, trailing white smoke as they plunged into the monster's head. The explosions illuminated the cockpit crimson, and Shinjo's face contorted into a ferocious grin in the flames.
"Hahaha! That's awesome! Let's have another round!"
"New City! We're almost out of ammo!"
"Lighting? Lighting? I'll replace the machine! I'm going to clear out all the inventory today!"
Daigo nodded frantically beside him, his fingers clicking incessantly on his own launch button: "Right! Explode first! We'll talk after that! Instructor Cui said that if a missile can solve the problem, we should never sacrifice human lives!"
"That's right!"
The two spoke in unison, their eyes filled with a resolute determination, as if they were making a vow.
Then--
boom!
The Flying Swallow's engine let out a mournful cry, the fuselage trembled violently, and the red lights on the instrument panel flashed wildly like a Christmas tree.
"Warning! Warning! Left engine malfunction!"
"Warning! Warning! Rapid descent!"
"New City!!!"
"I know!!!"
Shinjo frantically pulled the control stick, but the Flying Swallow plummeted like a rock. Daigo, unbuckling his seatbelt, shouted, "Fire first! Fire the rest!"
"It's over! The last shot was just fired!"
"...Then skydiving?"
"Stop jumping! Stay calm!"
boom!
The ejection seats launched the two into the air, and the Flying Swallow drew a graceful arc below them before plunging into the sea, splashing up a huge spray of water.
Daigo and Shinjo hung on the parachute and slowly floated down, the sea breeze making their hair a mess.
“…another plane crash,” Daigo said.
"Mm." Shinjo nodded.
“But at least…” Daigo looked down at the empty ammunition compartment, “we’ve fired all our weapons.”
“Yes.” Xincheng smiled with satisfaction. “Instructor Cui said that crashing the plane was acceptable, but all the ammunition had to be used up. We did it.”
"We did it."
The two looked at each other and simultaneously gave each other a thumbs up.
On the sea, the wreckage of the Flying Swallow is still smoking, like some kind of silent monument.
The two of them, suspended on their parachutes, drifted slowly toward the sea, their faces showing relief at having completed their mission.
“Next time…” Daigo suddenly spoke. “Hmm?”
"Can we please avoid a plane crash next time?"
"...I'll try my best."
"You said the same thing last time."
"The same thing happened the time before last."
"The time before last was the same."
"……Shut up."
The two drifted into the sea, splashing up two small water droplets.
A rescue ship was approaching from afar. On the deck, Cui Ming watched this scene expressionlessly, his fingers lightly tapping his holster.
"It fell again."
“Yes.” Kaina nodded beside her. “The seventh time this month.”
"Are you out of ammunition?"
"The lights are on."
“Very good.” Cui Ming’s lips curved into a smile. “Great progress. Last month they only used up 80% of their strength.”
"..."
On the sea, Daigo and Shinjo were struggling to swim toward the rescue ship, grumbling to each other.
"It's all your fault for flying too low!"
"It's all your fault for pressing the launch button too hard!"
"You fly next time!"
"You press it next time!"
"Row!"
"A word is settled!"
The two high-fived, then simultaneously sank into the water, only to thrash back up at the same time.
Cui Ming shook his head as he watched this scene, then turned and walked into the cabin.
"Prepare for the next Flying Swallow."
"Yes."
“Also,” Choi Myung paused, “give Daigo and Shinjo two more planes. They might not have enough for this month….”
"……Yes."
Outside the window, the sea breeze howled and the waves rolled.
Daigo and Shinjo finally climbed onto the rescue boat, soaked to the bone like two drowned rats, but still had smiles on their faces.
"I promise I won't fall next time!"
Yes! Definitely!
"Let's blow it up to our hearts' content!"
"Let's...let's think of another way!"
"Perfect!"
The two high-fived, then sneezed at the same time.
Cui Ming, inside the cabin, listened to the commotion outside, and his lips twitched.
These two are such a handful.
But at least they learned to blow it up first.
This is progress.
This is the excellent tradition of EDF fire coverage science.
It took root and sprouted in TPC, in the Set team, in the Victory team, and in every corner that had been affected by the Choi family.
It saves trouble, saves worry, and saves lives.
It's a bit expensive for the plane, though. (End of Chapter)