Chapter 598: Mutual Understanding
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The warship Darkniss had just completed its warp jump when it stumbled upon a situation.
A full blown war was happening right in front of them. Ye Chong stayed in the background. He needed time to assess the battle. The fleet was huge, with probably over a hundred ships.
Ye Chong soon came to the conclusion that the fleet must belong to some aristocratic family, or a powerful organization. This was apparent from the starship designs. The fleet had encountered a large group of red-tailed beasts. From the looks of it, the battle had been going on for some time. Mech squads were scattered about the fleet. They seemed to be inferior to the red-tailed beasts, but had the advantage in numbers.
After observing the battle for a while, Ye Chong found himself taken aback.
“What rotten skills.” Sang Kan commented dismissively. He had good reason to look down on the mech pilots. The mechs were lacking in both group and solo combat abilities. He found the mech pilots to be quite disappointing.
Nevertheless, Ye Chong shook his head. This surprised Sang Kan. He did not think he was wrong. If all the students on their ship were on par with those mech pilots, he would definitely terminate their instructor, with or without the good sir’s orders.
Ye Chong did not explain himself as he continued observing the battle. After a while more, he felt even more certain of his speculation. It seemed that the Five Galaxies had been progressing in his absence. Darkniss had slaughtered many red-tailed beasts, and Ye Chong knew that exactly how his students would fare against the mech pilots from the Five Galaxies. Any average mech pilot from He Yue Galaxy would be considered a professional in the Five Galaxies.
Even He Yue Galaxy’s mech pilots were unlikely to win against red-tailed beasts, but these mech pilots from the Five Galaxies were able to force the war into a stalemate through their advantage in numbers. This was a big surprise for Ye Chong, since he never expected the Five Galaxies to survive the red-tailed beasts.
These were his thoughts that he did not share with Sang Kan.
Sang Kan studied the war with a look of puzzlement. There must a reason for the good sir to disagree with him, so he looked harder at the battle to see what he was missing. After a while, he hummed in surprise. “The fleet commander is good!”
Next to Ye Chong was Appilok on standby. He nodded and commented solemnly, “An expert! It’s incredible!” He looked very serious.
By now, many more people had noticed this. The truth was, the mech pilots in combat were not particularly skilled, or just simply weak, but they had kept the war at a stalemate despite this. There must be an outstanding commander who could identify the enemy’s vulnerabilities and command the fleet accordingly.
The scariest part was, the commander had excellent insights. Whether it was in the bigger picture of the smallest details, the commander had planned flawlessly. The mech pilots carried out their orders without hesitation or doubt. Hence, the war had arrived at a stalemate.
Appilok looked more and more shaken. His forehead was beaded with sweat.
What a terrifying commander! He could not help but felt that he may never reached that level of skills. However, he quickly reigned in his own emotions. All the mech pilots trained by Ye Chong were mentally tough. Appilok quickly rectified his attitude. His eyes glowed with ambition.
In fact, Appilok was asking too much of himself. He was still young, and had not received proper leadership training. Everything he learned was through experience. Only a genius could reach where he was given the circumstances. As long as he continued to learn and gather experiences, he will certainly reach greater heights.
Sang Kan could not appreciate the commander’s skills, but Sang Pu definitely would have.
The warship Darkniss did not draw any attention after completing its warp jump. Appilok and others looked to Ye Chong. They were waiting for his orders. Should they go to the rescue, or not? If not, where should they go next? Ye Chong must make decide for them.
Ye Chong’s wandered to one of the starships on the holographic screen. Suddenly, his expression turned into a mixture of emotions. Rui Bing quickly noticed the changes in him. She found it curious. Ye Chong rarely showed an expression like that. What had he seen?
She followed Ye Chong’s gaze and could not help but gasped.
In the warship’s bridge was a woman of about 28 years of age, with a few burly men and an old man standing around her at attention. She wore gold rimmed glasses that rested on her small nose. Her gentle face showed great determination. Her eyes were sharp, following movements on the holographic screens around her as she tapped lightly and rhythmically on the main control board.
“Squads 10, 19 and 21, assist starship Mo Yun immediately.” Her voice was deep and silky.
The burly men around her were not affected by her seductive voice. They quickly passed the order down. Starship Mo Yun looked like it was still faring well, but no one questioned her orders. They believed that the Young Miss must be right.
As expected, just as the three mech squads arrived at Mo Yun, the situation turned sideways. A large group of red-tailed beasts had arrived.
All the crew members were in awe of their Young Miss’s almost prophetic abilities. Without her, they could not have survive for so long.
Ye Chong and his crew saw what happened as well. Appilok looked taken aback. More sweat appeared on his forehead. Even in the highly complex situation they were in, the commander was able to pinpoint the enemy’s next move precisely. It was shocking!
“Prepare to assist.” Ye Chong’s order brought Appilok back to the present. He could read nothing from his commander’s expression, and did not know what he was thinking.
Appilok composed himself. “Yes sir!”
Despite seeing the chaos outside, Appilok did not hesitate and ran out of the bridge. At the same time, orders for their mech squads to prepare to deploy began to ring throughout the warship.
Rui Bing stood beside Ye Chong and looked at the holographic screen worriedly.
“Young Miss, look!” A crew member pointed at one of the holographic screens and gasped in surprise.
There was no need for his warning. Gu Qing saw what was happening. She kept this region under close watch. If she had anymore elite squads, she would have deployed them all to that region. It would give her the power to control the course of the war. However, she had lost almost all her elite mech pilots. There was not enough manpower to undergo this task.
A hundred laser beams shot through the red-tailed beast horde. The animals scurried about in confusion.
Gu Qing was surprised. Her breathing turned rapid, bringing a blush rising to her cheeks. The poker faced burly men around her finally could not help but swallowed deeply.
Gu Qing did not seem to notice. She was focused entirely on the holographic screen. There was nothing at all to see. She responded swiftly with a loud order. “Quick, switch to optical mode.”
The crew members around jolted awake from their reverie and rushed to switch to optical mode.
The image on the screen changed immediately.
A fleet of about 500 mechs were pushing their way into the horde of red-tailed beasts.
The mech were powerful. In particular, their laser guns could shoot a big, bloody hole in the creatures. Their battle strategy was unique, with clear roles of offense. The mechs at the front line all fired in unison, while the mechs behind them guarded the flanks and rear. This unique strategy and with their powerful laser guns were enough to open a path in the animal horde with ease.
Nevertheless, Gu Qing was not surprised because of this. Instead, she saw how the mech squad had chosen the perfect time and location to make their entry. This showed that their leader was capable.
If this strong mech squad was led by an excellent commander, they would surely make a name for themselves.
Gu Qing knew what she had to do next. She gave the order without delay. “Squads 1, 5, 9 and 16, disperse and surround the red-tailed beasts. Keep them distracted.”
“Squads 3 and 7, move towards the starships. Make way.”
This was all she could now. Now, she could only hope that the commander of the other party understood her actions.
She stared at the holographic screen in suspense. Her orders were actually a huge risk. If the other party did not understand her and respond accordingly, the war would be lost for good.
She did not notice that her knuckles were turning white from gripping too tightly. Her characteristic calmness yielded to the pressure in this decisive moment.
Appilok quickly noticed the changes on the other side. He was slightly taken aback, but also deeply impressed. Without further delay, he rounded up the entire squad and traced a beautiful arc in space. The mech pilots demonstrated their remarkable skills in this maneuver. They made a sharp veer without losing formation.
Gu Qing immediately felt relieved. She knew that the other party had understood her.
Gu Qing studied the holographic screen with amusement as the mech squad charged straight in. Squads 3 and 7 had drew close to the starships around them to make way for the squad. Thus, these newcomers could unleash their maximum potential.
The battle outcome was decided.
Gu Qing was only interested in a few things now. Where did this powerful mech squad come from? Who did they serve?