The Chi You-class opened fire at will, firing bursts.
Streaks of railgun fire tore through the sky, igniting explosions of light in the forest, reducing the missile launchers and other assets of the Battle Axe Alliance hidden within to fragments.
Within the Yun Ying-class.
Lin Zhao frowned as he watched the real-time feed from the Chi You-class, his heart feeling a bit heavy. The old factory building was already visible in the feed. Two Yun Ying-class transport aircraft had landed on the outskirts of the old factory, and the members of the Scarlet Moon Transport escort fighter squadron inside had already retreated into the building.
Therefore, from the real-time feed of the Chi You-class, they could see a group of people from the Battle Axe Alliance had occupied two Chi You-class vessels, but their fighter jets had suffered heavy losses and wouldn't be able to take off again anytime soon.
Furthermore, outside the old factory, anti-radiation infantry armored vehicles belonging to the Battle Axe Alliance, supported by fully armed mercenary infantry, were rapidly approaching the old factory area. Many of them were carrying shoulder-mounted RPGs, and among the crowd, there were also some individuals wearing Yan Di-class individual combat armor.
"Boss."
Huo Dao frowned and said, "The Chi You-class can only fire at targets in the outer areas. Once they get close to the factory, they can't do anything. Our firepower is too intense; even with precision guidance, there's a high chance of friendly fire."
"Tell the people inside the factory to hold their ground."
Lin Zhao said in a deep voice, "Everyone else, speed over there and prepare for airdrop."
"Yes!"
In the real-time feed, the old factory area had already become a battlefield. Both sides were exchanging fire. Traces of RPGs, trailing smoke, shot into the old factory, igniting columns of explosions. Given the Battle Axe Alliance's troop strength and equipment, the small escort fighter squadron of the Scarlet Moon Transport inside the factory definitely wouldn't be able to hold on for long.
...
In the sky, eleven Yun Ying-class vessels sped past, leaving trails of sonic booms.
A few minutes later, the Yun Ying-class vessels of the Scarlet Moon Transport, rushing to reinforce the battlefield, all entered the fray. As the rear cargo doors opened, Lin Zhao and Chen Xue, inside an armored vehicle, were airdropped together. Shortly after, they landed heavily. On the ground, at least 30 anti-radiation infantry armored vehicles were rushing towards the old factory area from all directions.
"All individual combat armor members, dismount from the armored vehicles and charge their positions together, forming a pincer attack!"
Chen Xue, clad in Xi He-class individual combat armor, her pretty face stern beneath the transparent helmet shield. Having fought alongside Murong Feiyue for a long time, she considered the current situation to be a minor engagement. In terms of combat command, Lin Zhao still had much to learn from her.
On the ground, the artillery fire from the armored vehicles erupted, and explosions bloomed in the forest.
The Battle Axe Alliance had deployed at least 400+ ground combat personnel, who had now established a defensive line around the perimeter of the old factory. Armored vehicles and infantry were pouring fire outwards.
"Lin Zhao, keep up!"
Chen Xue's arm swung, and a Xi He-class exclusive arc sword appeared in her hand. Her beautiful eyes looked at Lin Zhao and said, "Be careful of those Yan Di-class armors."
"Understood."
Lin Zhao also swung his arm, activating his arc sword. His palm felt a warmth, like holding a heated poker. He then activated his rapid flight system, and with a burst of light from his thrusters behind him and a strong push, he and Chen Xue shot towards the enemy positions like two cannonballs.
"Whoooosh~~~"
In the Battle Axe Alliance, a young mercenary wearing Yan Di-class combat armor exclaimed in shock, "It's Xi He-class combat armor! Everyone be careful, armored vehicle main cannons, lock on and blast them!"
But the moment he gave the order, Chen Xue's figure flashed by with lightning speed. Her arc sword drew a trajectory in the air, and with a "peng" sound, her aura surged, instantly splitting an infantry armored vehicle in half. The cut edge was glowing red.
On the other side, Lin Zhao's arc sword swept across, instantly blowing off the hatch of an armored vehicle. Then, with a fierce kick, he flipped it over. Just as he finished, a rushing sound came from behind him. A mercenary in Yan Di-class armor, holding a ball of electromagnetic energy, slammed it towards Lin Zhao's back.
"Be careful!" Chen Xue cried out in alarm.
However, to her surprise, Lin Zhao's reaction speed was incredibly fast. He almost instantly completed a sidestep, dodged the incoming punch, and at the same time, swept his sword out, directly bisecting the attacker at the waist. Instantly, a set of Yan Di-class combat armor shattered, the cut edge bleeding profusely, a gruesome sight.
"Shoot them, quickly!"
The Battle Axe Alliance members were enraged.
A group of mercenaries turned their guns, locking onto Lin Zhao. The moment they did, Lin Zhao's body sank, and his Xi He-class combat reaction system activated fully. It was as if he had activated a formation that slowed down time. The speed of the mercenary group seemed to decelerate, while Lin Zhao charged out, conserving energy, directly sweeping through the crowd with his fists. The outer wall became a scene of chaos and fallen soldiers.
"Peng!"
Chen Xue landed a heavy punch on the underside of an armored vehicle, sending the entire vehicle soaring dozens of meters into the air. She then lowered her center of gravity, rapidly increasing her speed, and punched down one mercenary after another who were holding weapons, knocking them to the ground. Her strikes were fierce, leaving them either dead or wounded.
"Lin Zhao, watch out, RPG!"
Chen Xue shouted a warning to Lin Zhao.
Lin Zhao, without looking back, suddenly sank his body and spun backwards, activating only a portion of the shield on his arm. With a "peng" punch, he directly batted away the warhead of an RPG, which then exploded. His body retreated slightly from the impact, completing the task with minimal energy expenditure.
Chen Xue couldn't help but smile. Lin Zhao was now increasingly able to utilize the excellent performance of the Xi He-class.
Back then, Murong Feiyue had said, "My brother Lin Zhao has the makings of a Heavenly King." In reality, Chen Xue felt that Lin Zhao's combat intuition was indeed extremely strong, and in this aspect, he truly had the makings of a "Heavenly King."
From behind, the infantry armored vehicles of Scarlet Moon Transport and members of the combat unit holding infantry weapons steadily advanced.
When several RPGs were fired from inside the old factory towards the outside, landing among the mercenary ranks, the Battle Axe Alliance's situation was already dire.
Just then, from the side of a derelict factory building, a figure swooped down. It was a middle-aged man wearing Yan Di-class individual combat armor. His attacks were fierce. With a single punch, he directly tore a young warrior of Scarlet Moon Transport into two, sending blood and rain flying.
"Brothers, charge out with me!"
The middle-aged man roared.
Hearing this voice, it sounded like Han Fen! The commander of the Battle Axe Alliance mercenary group!
Lin Zhao instinctively turned his body, activated the Xi He-class flight system, and shot out with a "whoosh," not conserving any energy. He raised his hand and activated the arc sword weapon system, slashing towards Han Fen's head with a "chii" sound. Instantly, Han Fen hurriedly turned, but it was too late to completely avoid it.
"Ka-ching!"
With a clang of metal on metal, the arc sword, unyielding, severed Han Fen's arm. Blood gushed out, and the Yan Di-class combat armor was also severely damaged. Han Fen let out a whimper, rolled onto the ground, and cried out in agony.
"Protect the commander, quickly!"
In an instant, many people wearing Yan Di-class combat armor rushed out from all directions. Two of them held spiral flame weapons and split into two groups, charging towards Lin Zhao. Several others surrounded Chen Xue, while the rest formed a protective cordon around Han Fen as they retreated.
"This isn't good."
Chen Xue suppressed her opponents with her combat skills, knocking down two mercenaries in Yan Di-class armor, and said to Lin Zhao, "They have too many Yan Di-class armors. We can't stop them head-on."
"Understood."
Lin Zhao stood straight, looking at the behemoth Chi You-class in the sky, and said, "Huo Dao?"
"Here!"
Huo Dao replied in a deep voice, "Boss, please instruct."
"We'll let the mercenaries in the Yan Di-class combat armor go. They'll definitely seize the outer infantry vehicles to escape. Later, you'll blast them with railguns from the air. That'll be the most efficient. Try not to let any of them get away. The Battle Axe Alliance commander Han Fen is also in the group. If you can kill him, do it!"
"Understood!"
Chen Xue frowned and led her men to clear the remaining battlefield. Soon after, the entire old factory was occupied by the people of Scarlet Moon Transport. As for the Battle Axe Alliance mercenaries, many of them directly surrendered, discarding their weapons and forming a group inside the factory area, with their hands clasped behind their heads.
Lin Zhao looked into the distance. The Chi You-class in the sky finally opened fire again. As the railguns fired, only the "peng peng peng" sounds of immense explosions could be heard. The rate of fire was so fast that the projectile trails were invisible. They could only see armored vehicles in the distance turning into dust, with wisps of smoke and cloud billowing across the countryside.
In this battle, the Battle Axe Alliance suffered heavy losses, losing nearly 70% of their foundation. Whether it was aircraft, armored vehicles, or Yan Di-class combat armor, more than half were lost. Their commander Han Fen was likely reduced to ashes by the railguns, and from now on, there would likely be no more Battle Axe Alliance in this world.
...
Shortly after, Scarlet Moon Transport's Yun Ying-class vessels took to the sky one by one, carrying three damaged Yun Ying-class vessels back to Sucheng.
Fortunately, Scarlet Moon Transport's base had already been successfully expanded and had a complete set of equipment for repairing fighter jets. Su Wan had also hired many professional maintenance personnel, making them largely self-sufficient.
Inside the control room of the Chi You-class.
Lin Zhao sat on the captain's throne, while Chen Xue stood by his side, hands on her hips, like a little secretary.
"What are our losses?"
Lin Zhao frowned. War had no absolute winners, and although he knew this was a great victory, he also knew that Scarlet Moon Transport had suffered losses, and many young warriors had died before his eyes.
"The losses weren't too great, but not insignificant either," Chen Xue replied. "The maintenance of three Yun Ying-class vessels will certainly cost a substantial amount of money. Additionally, we lost four anti-radiation infantry fighting vehicles, and twelve members of the escort fighter squadron were killed in action, with 41 injured."
"Understood," Lin Zhao nodded. "Ensure the aftermath is handled properly."
"Mm," Chen Xue pursed her red lips and said, "Lin Zhao, I have a proposal."
"Speak."
Lin Zhao looked at Chen Xue. Since she had spoken, he assumed her proposal would be quite constructive.
"We can't keep being this passive. This is all a losing business," Chen Xue frowned. "The Battle Axe Alliance used those rusted relics from a hundred years ago to intercept us, causing us so many losses. We have to earn something back. We've already confirmed the Battle Axe Alliance's base. Once we return to base, after replenishing energy, ammunition, and fuel, we'll set out directly and take down the Battle Axe Alliance's base!"
She raised her eyebrows and continued, "Han Fen, that old fox, has been running the Battle Axe Alliance for so many years. He must have accumulated a lot of wealth. These mercenaries live by the sword, so they wouldn't keep all their money in accounts. They'd definitely convert it into physical assets or cash. Since we've won, why not go and raid their home?"
Huo Dao suddenly stood up, his eyes gleaming, "As expected of my Boss Xue! This proposal is sound!"
Lin Zhao frowned. "Can the other Chi You-class vessel be used? If it can, let's go."
"Yes!"
Huo Dao said in a deep voice, "I'll have the base replenish ammunition, energy, and fuel right away!"