"Report! Multiple T1 Hive Motherships detected approaching our starship, along with large numbers of T1 Flying Insects and T2 Spike Snakes! Additionally, the first wave of the Swarm outside the planet will arrive within ten minutes!" a Starship Crew member reported.
Charlotte immediately began deploying for battle.
"Deploy fifty Stellar Drones to clear the Zerg ground units on the surface.
The four 2500mm Caliber Medium Electromagnetic Cannon Main Guns, sixteen Medium Pulse Laser Secondary Guns, and seventy-two Medium Close-in Defense Guns are to engage targets freely!"
After the orders were relayed,
a hatch opened on the underside of the T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser's Ship Hull.
Inside, fifty Stellar Drones, already prepared and ready, were suspended.
These Stellar Drones resembled bats hanging upside down. Once the hatch opened, they dropped in free fall, extending their wings mid-air to assume their full forms, then began attacking the Zerg units on the ground.
Meanwhile, the starship main cannon, secondary cannons, and close defense cannons continuously fired at the surrounding Zergs, preventing them from approaching the Blizzard-class Light Star Battlecruiser.
As for the distant T1 Hive Motherships, if they dared to enter the firing range of the T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser's main cannon, their fate was certain:
to become a display of "Zerg Fireworks."
"Altitude: 20,000 kilometers... Altitude: 15,000 kilometers... Altitude: 10,000 kilometers..."
As they drew closer to the ground, Zhao Chen could already see the towering mountains below with the naked eye, as well as the flames rising from distant cities and the trails of starships that had crashed onto the surface.
The entire landscape was engulfed in the fires of war, scarred and devastated.
"Altitude: 5,000 kilometers... Altitude: 3,000 kilometers..." Zhao Chen spotted a T3 level starship nestled between two ridges, its hull flickering with sparks.
Those were the flashes of intense combat. He could also see waves of Zerg ground units surging toward the starship.
Although the starship had crashed, some of its weapons were still operational. It appeared that the people inside were manning these starship weapons, using the vessel as a fortress to fend off the Zerg assault.
He also glimpsed figures armed with personal weapons and the silhouettes of combat mechs.
"That should be the location!" Zhao Chen checked the precise coordinates on the Star Map radar—it matched the spot.
"Commander, we can dispatch shuttles to rescue the trapped personnel!" Charlotte requested instructions.
"How many people can all our shuttles bring back?" Zhao Chen inquired.
"We have only six small shuttles on our starship. At maximum capacity, they can carry approximately 60 people," Lilith added from the side.
Sixty people.
That meant a single rescue run wouldn't be enough; at least one additional trip would be required, taking a total of five to ten minutes for the round trips.
"Our Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser is equipped with T2 Black Knight-class Light Interstellar Combat Mechs, correct?" Zhao Chen confirmed with Charlotte.
Charlotte nodded. "The hangar of the Blizzard-class Light Star Battlecruiser is equipped with three mech combat squads, totaling fifteen T2 Black Knight-class Light Interstellar Combat Mechs!"
Before the end of March, while completing those construction plans, Zhao Chen had instructed Charlotte to build a batch of T2 Black Knight-class Light Interstellar Combat Mechs in an appropriate quantity. After all, those things weren't expensive, with a single unit's construction cost being only ten thousand Star Coins.
Naturally, Charlotte prioritized equipping the completed T2 Black Knight-class Light Interstellar Combat Mechs onto the T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser.
"Deploy these T2 Black Knight-class Light Interstellar Combat Mechs to the surface to cover the retreat," Zhao Chen said, standing up. "Prepare a set of Powered Exoskeleton Combat Armor for me. I'll go command the surface evacuation operation."
"No!" Charlotte and Lilith spoke almost simultaneously.
Charlotte blocked Zhao Chen's path with a serious expression. "You are the fleet commander. You cannot leave the starship. It's too dangerous out there!"
"Dangerous?" Zhao Chen chuckled. He pointed outside and asked, "Are there any enemy T3 Level combat units out there?"
"Well... no," Charlotte replied, not understanding why the commander was asking this but answering instinctively nonetheless. The strongest Zerg units detected outside so far were only T2 Level.
"Then I'm not in danger. You are responsible for commanding the starship battle here." Seeing that Charlotte still wanted to stop him, Zhao Chen performed a swift shift, almost instantly appearing behind Charlotte. His speed was so fast that Charlotte, a beastman, couldn't react in time.
Then her feet left the ground, and as if she had lost the ability to resist, Zhao Chen lifted her by the back of her neck and placed her in the captain's chair.
"You stay put here obediently. I'll be back soon."
After saying that, Zhao Chen left the bridge.
Charlotte and Lilith exchanged a helpless look. All they could do now was instruct the combat personnel of the mech squads to ensure the commander's safety at all costs.
However, judging by the commander's skills just now, self-preservation shouldn't be a problem.
But where did the commander get such agile skills? Charlotte wondered, touching the back of her neck. When she was being lifted, there was a strange... feeling.
Zhao Chen stepped onto the glass elevator, heading for the hangar where the mechs were docked.
Simultaneously, he opened the time-limited mission the system had just issued him.
[Mission Content: Rely on your own strength to kill Zergs within the specified time.
Mission Difficulty: C-grade
Task Reward: Based on the final kill tier achieved within the time limit (1, 10, 100, 1000... kills), corresponding rewards will be granted.
Mission Time: Ten minutes]
This was the reason Zhao Chen wanted to take to the field himself!
Zhao Chen confirmed with the system. This mission indeed could not be completed using starship weapons. Even piloting a combat mech was not allowed. The only usable equipment was personal weapons and Powered Exoskeleton Combat Armor.
Although there might be danger, to enhance his own strength as quickly as possible, Zhao Chen had to complete every system task that appeared and obtain the rewards!
One minute later, a figure clad in fully armed, jet-black Powered Exoskeleton Combat Armor appeared before rows of T2 Black Knight-class Light Interstellar Combat Mechs standing ready for battle.
"Reporting, Commander! Black Knight First Squad assembled and awaiting orders!"
"Reporting, Commander! Black Knight Second Squad assembled and awaiting orders!"
"Reporting, Commander..."
Zhao Chen glanced over; fifteen female soldiers clad in combat suits stood ready for action.
"Enough talk, prepare to move out!"
"Yes, sir!"
The fifteen mecha pilots immediately boarded their respective mechs.
Thud, thud, thud
Just as the First Squad leader closed her cabin hatch, she heard sounds outside the mech. When she activated the visual feed, she was astonished to find the commander standing on the shoulder of her mech.
"Commander... what are you doing?"
"Going down with you all," Zhao Chen replied.
The squad leader froze, then hurriedly said, "That's too dangerous. You should take a shuttle down instead."
At that moment, the hatch opened, and a powerful gust of air rushed into the cabin. Yet, Zhao Chen remained perfectly steady on the shoulder of the Black Knight mech, unmoving. From his position, he could even see the terrain below and the battlefield surrounding the starship.
"The ground is five hundred meters below. If your mech jumps down directly, will it break?"
"Of course the mech won't break," the squad leader instinctively replied.
Zhao Chen grinned and patted the mech's head. "If it won't break, then jump without hesitation."
"But Commander, you..." The squad leader was still worried about the commander's safety.
"Enough talk. When I say jump, you jump. That's an order!" Zhao Chen impatiently kicked the mech's large head with his foot.
His adrenaline was surging, almost uncontrollable!
Looking down at the zergs below, they seemed like adorable little creatures blowing kisses at him.
Zhao Chen licked his lips, trying to calm his restless heart.
Left with no choice, the squad leader maneuvered the mech to the edge of the hatch. While issuing commands to her squad, she operated the Black Knight-class Light Interstellar Combat Mech and leaped down, all the while keeping a close watch on the commander standing on her shoulder.
"Holy shit, this is so damn thrilling!"
Standing on the mech's shoulder, five hundred meters in the air, Zhao Chen couldn't help but shout.
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