Infinite Stream Metaverse

Chapter 775 Combat Exercise
The circular outline of the giant planet filled the entire field of vision. Its surface was striped with ochre and reddish-brown. A wide ring system composed of countless ice fragments and rocks stretched across the planet's equator, refracting the starlight into fine, diamond-dust-like sparkles.

At this moment, the two fleets were engaged in fierce combat in orbital space. Thick beams of red and blue light crisscrossed among the ice crystals of the planetary rings. Each hit exploded into a brief but dazzling fireball in the silent vacuum, and the leaked air caused particles in the nearby rings to scatter like startled fish.

Meanwhile, the two teams of TIE fighters also chased and weaved through this complex battlefield that was constantly changing and fraught with danger.

"I've got it."

A hint of ruthlessness crept into Elwin's tone.

Then she pulled the trigger without hesitation.

The enemy plane exploded into a fireball in front of her.

"First kill!!!"

Elwin shouted excitedly.

"Blade II, watch your back."

Fu Qinghai suddenly spoke up to remind him:

"Dodge to the left, I'll cover you."

"receive."

Upon hearing this, Elwin's expression hardened. She maneuvered her fighter jet up and performed a somersault, nimbly passing through the gap between a huge warship wreck and an irregular asteroid.

The other TIE fighter jet, which had suddenly appeared from the side, was cornered by Fu Qinghai. Realizing that it had no way to avoid it, the fighter jet actually chose to crash head-on into the passing warship. Its black wing panel twisted and broke instantly, and the fuselage hit the hull of the warship, bounced up again, and then rolled over...

"What does this mean? Deliberate suicide?"

One of the team members, seeing this, spoke up in confusion.

"He doesn't want to give you kill data, Blade One."

Another team member said with a mischievous grin.

"Hmph, what difference does it make to play these petty tricks?"

Fu Qinghai chuckled dismissively and said:
"Numbers 3 and 4, fly around to the other side of the planetary ring. Numbers 5 and 6, keep formation and follow me closely."

Under Fu Qinghai's command, the Blade Squad quickly split into three groups and dispersed, forming a larger and more complex Satch scissor arc. The enemy did not choose to split up to pursue, but instead concentrated all its fighters in an attempt to create a local numerical advantage and take out three of the enemy's aircraft first. However, they fell into a trap.

Just as they were relentlessly pursuing Fu Qinghai and his Blade No. 5 and Blade No. 6, Elwin's TIE fighter (Blade No. 2) and two other TIE fighters (Blade No. 3 and Blade No. 4) that had circled through the planetary rings came from both sides, directly attacking their weak flanks.

The TIE fighter jet has two large hexagonal solar panels on either side, which are the largest vulnerable areas compared to the front, back, and tail. They are practically hit even with your eyes closed. Elwin and his two teammates did not miss this precious firing window, pulling the trigger and firing continuously. The continuous green beams shattered the black wing panels into fragments and disappeared in an instant, also hitting the fuselage connection.

Three fireballs exploded in space.

Three more TIE fighters have been eliminated.

With only two enemy planes remaining, the outcome was no longer in doubt. The Blade Squad played a cat-and-mouse game with the two remaining TIE fighters, eventually turning them into fireballs and debris in space.

In the first round, the Blade Team won.

The score was a complete rout, 6-0.

Not a single Blade Team fighter jet crashed.

"laugh--"

The simulator's cockpit canopy slowly rose.

Fu Qinghai turned to look in the direction of his opponent.

Just then, from the open hatch of the simulator on the other side, a pale, handsome man with blond hair parted in the middle turned his head, and the two looked at each other deeply.

"Next game, I request a different map."

The blond man with a middle parting turned back and instructed his teammates:

"After the game started, we concentrated all our efforts and spared no expense to take that guy down first. I had a feeling that he was the core of their team's command. Once we took him down, the rest of them would be a disorganized mess and not worth worrying about."

The blond man with a middle parting pointed in Fu Qinghai's direction.

"How do you know he's the command center?"

A dark-haired, brown-faced man with a ponytail asked:
"Does such an unequal exchange make sense? What's your reasoning? What if we guess wrong?"

"I've always trusted my gut feeling. It's a best-of-five series, and we've already lost a match point. We don't have much time to slowly figure out who their core player is!"

The blond man with the middle parting paused at this point.

Or perhaps we should provide the reasons behind his judgment:

"After that match just ended, the other players were cheering and high-fiving, but he remained silent and turned to look at us. A truly calm person won't get carried away by a single victory! I have a feeling he might have realized the gap in skill level between us and them. We are individually stronger than them, and as long as we choose the right tactics, we deserve to win!"

You have to admit your intuition is pretty accurate...

Fu Qinghai leaned back in his chair and thought silently:

Unfortunately, I overheard everything you were saying.

Coruscant Flight Academy is the smallest of the Imperial military academies. It does not have any other naval majors such as ship command. Its sole mission and purpose is to train fighter pilots, so it is the most specialized. The student representatives sent this time are also the strongest among them.

But what's the use of having the best technology?
Fu Qinghai curled his lips and thought to himself:

Flying TIE fighters would only result in a bunch of cannon fodder.

The Imperial military views space fighters as expendable resources, which is why they mass-produce and deploy these inexpensive, poorly equipped, and mediocre standard TIE fighters. It's not that a unit can't be considered expendable, but rather that the Imperial military completely failed to recognize the immense strategic value of its space fighter forces. This strategic misjudgment will inevitably lead to a heavy price, and could even indirectly cause them to lose the entire war.

Furthermore, it's clear that these students at the Coruscant Flight Academy are seasoned veterans of simulated air combat.

If you realize you might be shot down, immediately choosing to crash your plane into a nearby meteorite or warship to commit suicide is pointless in real combat. Only in simulated combat mode, in rare cases where the score is tied, is it necessary to compare the total number of kills of the two teams to determine the winner. If the total number of kills is still the same, then continue to compare the highest single-player kill count until a winner is determined.

In other words, this is a trick that only works in simulated combat—suicide doesn't count towards the opponent's total kills, which is a loophole in the rules.

Fu Qinghai, of course, dismissed this with disdain.

Influenced by him, his Blade Squad also disdained using such loopholes in the rules to gain a slight advantage in the final score, and instead pursued defeating their opponents fair and square.

"For the next scene, they might request a change of location."

Fu Qinghai rested his elbows on the edge of the cockpit, turned to look at the five team members chatting and laughing, and said:
"At the same time, if, if, they focus all their firepower on me at all costs, all you have to do is ensure my survival at all costs, understand?"

"Um, what if you're the only one left in the end?"

After thinking for a while, a boy asked a question:
"What I mean is, what if we do everything in our power to ensure your survival, but suffer too many losses as a result, leaving you as the only fighter jet left in the Blade Team?"

"Don't worry, I can cover for you."

Fu Qinghai turned around and said calmly.

His words were filled with strong self-confidence.

The words "I can handle it" completely ignited the fighting spirit of the team members. They nodded firmly and sat back in the cockpit of the simulator as the canopy slowly closed.

……

The second match began quickly.

This time, the battle scene changed to the vast and empty outer space, with almost no obstacles around to interfere with the battle.

"Blade One, they're here."

Elwin immediately saw the enemy speak and gave a warning:

"The orientation is 293, and the distance is approximately two holes!"

The six enemy aircraft rushed up almost all at once, heading straight for Fu Qinghai's TIE fighter without any hesitation.

The Blade Squad members were somewhat surprised. They hadn't expected that their opponents would actually treat him as their sole target, just as Qingshan had said, and surround him relentlessly.

"Execute according to the original plan."

Fu Qinghai calmly gave the order.

The Blade Squad quickly formed a defensive formation to engage the enemy aircraft. They habitually split up and flew around to the left and right to try to draw the enemy aircraft away, but found that the enemy completely ignored the openings they deliberately exposed and were focused on shooting down Blade One.

As the one-on-one battles continued, the Blade Squad's disadvantages soon became apparent: apart from Elwin, who was relatively strong, the other four members were not as good as their opponents in terms of individual skills. In terms of reaction speed and operation level, they were easily knocked down by their opponents in one-on-one combat.

In the first game, neither side knew each other's skill level or tactical style. Blade Team used a slight home-field advantage to crush their opponents. However, this score did not truly reflect the skill level of the two teams. The newcomers to the Coruscant Flight Academy had gradually figured out the Blade Team members' driving habits and tactical style and quickly made targeted countermeasures.

The battle balance gradually began to tilt in favor of the enemy, with Blade Squad's fighters exploding into fireballs one after another. Despite being outmatched in skill, the squad members were resolute in their tactical execution. To protect their leader, Blade One, they paid a heavy price, even resorting to ramming their own aircraft to take down the enemy. Fu Qinghai's TIE fighter remained unscathed despite repeated attacks from enemy planes.

In the end, only three TIE fighters remained.

One of them is Fu Qinghai's fighter jet.

The other two were enemy aircraft.

It seemed the outcome was already decided, with the Coruscant Flight Academy about to turn the tide. However, Fu Qinghai, piloting the TIE fighter jet, swiftly and decisively eliminated both opponents.

The screen went black again.

"laugh--"

The simulator's cockpit canopy rises.

"The tactics are fine, let's win next round!"

The blond, center-parted boy gritted his teeth and said fiercely.

He set the tone for the next round right from the start.

Continue with the same strategy of focusing fire and eliminating the enemy as in the previous round.

He was one of the two fighter jets that were just shot down.

……

At the start of the third round, the Coruscant Flight Academy's fighter squadron charged straight in with even greater speed.

This time, the battle scene changed to the atmosphere, in thick clouds filled with dark clouds and lightning.

The scenario is somewhat similar to the first game, but it is more difficult. Pilots not only need to dodge lightning in the clouds in time to avoid being hit, but their own vision and the aircraft's detection system are also affected by the clouds, rain and ionizing radiation in the environment. They also have to take into account air resistance.

After two rounds of combat, the Coruscant Flight Academy fighter squadron had a good understanding of the members of the Blade Squadron. They swiftly and efficiently shot down Elowen's fighter jet, and then proceeded to eliminate the other four fighter jets, while only losing two of their own to crash.

Judging from the early stages of the game, the Blade Squad was undoubtedly crushed by their opponents. Facing a more complex and harsher environment, the opponents demonstrated superior operational skills, tactical coordination, and environmental adaptability. They only lost two of their own aircraft while taking down five of the Blade Squad's, making it a completely one-sided affair.

In the end, only one Blade Squad fighter jet remained surviving inside the clouds—the TIE fighter jet piloted by Fu Qinghai—while the enemy still had four fighter jets surviving.

"Have they finally pulled back a match point?"

The blond, center-parted boy thought excitedly:

"This is fucking unacceptable... bang!"

The screen suddenly went black.

"Was I...was I just shot down?"

The blond, center-parted boy muttered to himself incredulously.

He didn't even get a clear look at what the enemy plane looked like.

"Damn it, it's finally our turn to win a game."

The black-haired boy with a ponytail complained while driving:
"Before the match, we were discussing that since we were on someone else's turf, we should give the host some face and not let them lose too badly. In the end, it went to the third game before we managed to win back a point."

As he spoke, he saw the friendly aircraft icon on the side screen go black, and he exclaimed in surprise:

"Titan One, were you shot down?"

The lack of response from teammates on the communication channel further confirmed the result. The black-haired boy with a ponytail immediately became more vigilant and focused, no longer daring to let his guard down. He concentrated on the rolling clouds outside the window, while also keeping an eye on the detection information on the screen.

"That guy is very cunning. Let's get closer and not split up. Keep the search formation and increase the detection range."

A teammate spoke up in a deep voice, offering a reminder.

"Watch out! Number three, watch your left!"

Another teammate screamed, which quickly turned into a static noise.

"Titan V? Titan V?"

The black-haired boy with a ponytail tried to call out to his teammates:

"Are you still there? Received a reply!"

The communication channel had become completely silent, and looking at the side screen, another teammate's indicator light had gone out.

Am I all alone now?
The black-haired boy with a ponytail was horrified.

He looked around warily, but couldn't find any trace of the enemy plane. He gritted his teeth, pulled the control stick up sharply, and the fighter jet dodged the forked lightning and braved the torrential rain, climbing vertically upwards until it finally broke through the thick clouds and arrived above the sunlit sea of ​​clouds. The surrounding environment was instantly clear, and his field of vision suddenly opened up.

His tension eased a little.

The star was positioned diagonally above and behind him, casting an "H"-shaped shadow on the white clouds directly below his cockpit view—the shadow of his own fighter jet.

The black-haired boy with a ponytail lowered his gaze, staring at the black shadow of his fighter jet. Suddenly, he noticed that the "H"-shaped shadow began to sway, splitting into two "H"s.

The boy's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Beep beep beep beep beep!"

The urgent alarm of being locked by the fire control system sounded belatedly, but it was too late. By the time he realized where the other party had been hiding, a dense barrage of green beams had already covered his cockpit.

"Boom——"

The scene before my eyes went completely black.

At this point, his entire fighter squadron was wiped out.

Fu Qinghai completed a 1v4 victory.

They fulfilled their promise to provide a safety net.

The final score was 3-0.

The Blade Team won the battle decisively.

……

"laugh--"

The cockpit canopy rose for the third time.

As soon as Fu Qinghai took off his helmet, a soft, delicate body wrapped in a pilot's training uniform rushed into his arms, carrying a fragrant breeze. Fu Qinghai instinctively hugged her, and then felt cool, soft lips kiss him from the corner of his mouth. He turned his head, closed his eyes slightly, opened his mouth, and their lips and tongues intertwined, enjoying the kiss from the beauty.

Amidst the cheers and jeers of the surrounding teammates.

Elowin blushed and propped herself up against his chest.

A pair of bright, sparkling eyes remained fixed on him.

"How exactly did you manage that last strike?"

Elowin asked with curiosity in his eyes:

Why didn't he notice you were there?

"When you are close enough to another fighter jet, you will become two overlapping dots on each other's radar screens. I kept my head close to his and flew parallel to him the whole time, so he never noticed me."

Fu Qinghai smiled and began to explain.

The problem lies with the TIE fighter's eyeball-shaped cockpit, which has such a narrow field of vision that it can only see what's in front of it and not what's above it.

How could it still be like this?

The curiosity in Elowin's big eyes turned into admiration, and she couldn't help but press down and kiss Fu Qinghai hard again.

On the other side, the hatches of the six simulators slowly opened, and the members of the Coruscant Flight Academy's fighter squadron sat motionless in the cockpit, their faces stiff as if their souls had been ripped out.

"That's it, that's it..."

The black-haired boy with a ponytail stared blankly at the screen in front of him, muttering the same words over and over again.

…………