A Battleship desperately raised its shield, enduring the first Missile Salvo.
But the railgun projectiles that followed crashed onto its Broadside Armor like a torrential downpour.
Layer by layer, the armor was stripped away, like a peeled orange.
Finally, one projectile penetrated all defenses and burrowed into the Ammunition Depot.
Explosion.
The Battleship was torn apart from within, breaking into two sections.
A Destroyer attempted to Evade the Missile swarm with high-speed maneuver.
But its broadside was facing the Federation Fleet, and no matter how it dodged, it couldn't escape the locked trajectories.
Three missiles simultaneously struck its Stern. The thrusters exploded, the hull lost power, and it began spinning helplessly in the vacuum, becoming a living target for the next round of firepower.
Desperate cries echoed through the communication channel.
"The Right flank can't hold!"
"We're under saturation strike!"
"Requesting support! Requesting support!"
"Hull breach! Hull breach! Prepare to abandon ship..."
"It's too late... too late..."
Jade Kirin-class interstellar carrier, fighter pilot ready room.
The compartment wasn't large. Over a dozen seats were lined against the wall, with several tactical screens mounted on the bulkhead displaying the battlefield situation.
Sergeant Ma Xiaoyuan leaned back in a chair in the corner, slowly sipping from a tube of energy paste.
The paste was standard military supplies—a grayish-white paste with a bland taste like diluted rice porridge.
But one tube could stave off hunger for a day, making it standard issue for pilots during prolonged combat.
He squinted, staring at the tactical screen on the bulkhead.
On the screen, red dots representing the Blood Locust Fleet were scattering in all directions.
Those dots were chaotic, without formation or order, like a swarm of disturbed ants.
He watched those dots, slowly sipping his paste.
Suddenly.
Thwack!
A heavy slap landed on his back.
The force was considerable, causing Ma Xiaoyuan to lurch forward abruptly, nearly spitting out the paste in his mouth.
He choked, coughing violently as he turned his head.
Lieutenant Xie Zhixing stood behind him, holding a flight helmet in one hand, wearing that familiar, roguish smile.
"Good lad!"
Xie Zhixing's voice echoed in the cramped compartment, carrying a uniquely flamboyant tone.
"Already this relaxed?"
He glanced at the energy paste in Ma Xiaoyuan's hand, his smile deepening.
"Even drinking paste now?"
Ma Xiaoyuan rubbed the back of his head, a simple, honest smile appearing on his face.
"Captain..."
He paused, explaining:
"During prolonged combat, if I get too excited, I tend to get hungry halfway through the fight."
He raised the paste in his hand, offering it to Xie Zhixing.
"Captain, want to try this?
It's a new flavor—tastes a bit like braised pork!"
He blinked, with a hint of a sales pitch in his tone.
"Take a few sips, and you won't feel hungry all day!"
Xie Zhixing glanced at the tube of grayish-white paste, his expression tinged with disdain.
"This stuff?"
He shook his head:
"That's for you kids to drink."
Ma Xiaoyuan was momentarily stunned.
Xie Zhixing didn't say more.
He tucked the helmet under his arm, unzipped his pressure suit, and pulled out a palm-sized metal flask from an inner pocket.
The flask was polished to a shine, with a few blurred characters engraved on its surface.
Ma Xiaoyuan couldn't make out what they were, but he could vaguely discern a line of serial numbers.
Xie Zhixing weighed the flask in his hand, a hint of pride in his smile.
"I'll stick with this."
He unscrewed the cap, and an intense aroma of liquor immediately filled the Compartments.
"Authentic Stellar Ring liquor."
He paused, his tone carrying a satisfaction only an old drinker would understand.
"One sip, and your Eyes won't even feel dry."
Ma Xiaoyuan stared at the flask, his Adam's apple bobbing.
Not out of craving, but curiosity.
Xie Zhixing noticed his gaze.
Holding the flask, he shook it toward Ma Xiaoyuan, a mischievous curve forming at the corner of his mouth.
"Want a sip?"
He paused, his tone carrying a hint of provocation.
"Maybe after a sip, your kill count will catch up to mine."
Ma Xiaoyuan hesitated for a second.
Then he reached out and took the flask.
The flask felt slightly heavy in his hand, the metal surface still warm from Xie Zhixing's palm.
He brought it to his lips and took a small sip.
The moment the liquor touched his tongue—
"Cough, cough, cough!!"
Ma Xiaoyuan bent over violently, coughing uncontrollably.
The pungent liquid burned from his tongue all the way down his throat and into his stomach, like a raging fire rampaging through his body.
His face flushed instantly, and tears welled up in his eyes from the physical reaction.
"So spicy!!"
He shouted between coughs, his voice cracking.
"So spicy, so spicy!!"
Xie Zhixing stood beside him, watching his disheveled state, laughing so hard he could barely straighten up.
"Hahahaha!"
His laughter echoed through the Compartments, drawing sidelong glances from several pilots on standby nearby.
"You brat!"
Xie Zhixing scolded between laughs, reaching out to take the flask back from Ma Xiaoyuan.
"You don't know what's good!"
He tilted his head back and took a sip.
With that sip, an expression of contentment immediately spread across his face.
Squinting his Eyes, he tilted his head slightly upward, as if savoring some divine nectar.
"Now this is the good stuff."
He murmured, his tone carrying an indescribable sense of ease.
Ma Xiaoyuan finally stopped coughing.
He straightened up, wiped the tears from the corners of his Eyes, and looked at Xie Zhixing's blissful expression, unable to resist muttering.
"Captain… is that stuff really drinkable?"
Xie Zhixing opened his Eyes and glanced at him.
"Obviously."
He paused, stowed the flask away, and zipped up his pressure suit again.
"I've been drinking it for twenty years, and I'm still alive."
Ma Xiaoyuan opened his mouth, about to say something.
Just then, the Alarm Sound blared.
The sound was sharp and piercing, reverberating through the narrow Compartments like an invisible spike drilling into everyone's eardrums.
"All combat units, attention!"
The automated Broadcast voice drowned out everything else.
"First-level combat readiness!"
"Electromagnetic catapult tracks one through eight are in position. All Swift Swallow fighter squadrons, board and stand by!"
"Repeat, all combat units, attention…"
Xie Zhixing stood at the doorway and turned back.
A brilliant smile spread across his face.
There was no tension or fear in that smile, only a pure, heartfelt excitement.
"It's our turn to take the stage!"
He said.
Then, carrying his helmet, he strode out.
Ma Xiaoyuan froze for a moment.
"Wait for me, Captain!"
He sprang up from his chair, brought the energy paste to his mouth, and took several fierce gulps.
The grayish-white paste slurped noisily as he drank, leaving not a single drop behind.
He tossed the empty packet into a nearby waste bin and dashed after them.
Hangar Bay.
The vast space was brightly lit.