Counterfeit Hero

”Great!”

Leonid’s words made Flavio very pleased. The short old man patted the console table again and said with a booming voice that did not match his small frame, ”However, I need to correct one thing, don’t give them a chance to regret, if possible, I need a resounding victory!”

”Damn them!” The Vice President spat out forcefully, cursing fluently.

”Escort ships! Engage!”

In front of the main control console, the communications officer’s loud voice drowned out Flavio’s.

At the same time, several brilliant flashes suddenly erupted on the enormous virtual screen. The escort ships with longer-range energy cannons were the first to fire... Six white beams pierced through the vast universe, shooting towards the enemy fleet.

The first fireworks bloomed on a Ghost torpedo boat. This small boat, which had not yet entered the torpedo launch zone, was completely destroyed by the escort ship’s powerful energy cannon. The violent explosion lit up the entire space. Large and small debris spun out in all directions, swiftly disappearing into the vast universe.

The curtain of battle was thus drawn.

As if provoked by the torpedo boat’s explosion, the battle between both sides immediately turned bloody.

The pirate fleet, led by the torpedo boats, launched a fierce attack on the escort ship’s defensive line in a double-arrowhead formation. During their high-speed advance, dozens of large and small energy cannon light clusters engulfed the escort ship group, and the torpedo boats, in high-speed maneuvers, continuously tried to break through the Leray Guardian Ship’s blockade of fire, getting closer, and closer.

At this moment, the six Highspirited-class escort ships showcased their unparalleled high-speed maneuverability. Amidst the torrent-like attack of the pirate fleet, they moved in pairs, avoiding enemy strikes with precise tactical coordination. Coordinated by the SkyNet, their energy cannon salvos hit each selected target accurately, time after time.

The entire universe, as if gasoline had been poured on Mars, ignited brightly as daylight in an instant.

In the fierce close combat, an Oklahoma Armed Merchant Ship was hit by three consecutive energy cannons, following in the footsteps of the torpedo boats, turning into tumbling debris. Immediately, two more torpedo boats were destroyed. Meanwhile, a Leray Federation escort ship was also hit by a torpedo, with flames spewing from the damaged ship, which were extinguished only after more than ten minutes.

Although the Highspirited-class escort ships were not large and their defense was not strong, compared to the modified merchant ships, they had an absolute advantage in both onboard weapons and the SkyNet system. When most of the pirate fleet’s energy cannons missed them, each of their volleys could achieve a reap.

And when the Blue Rose and the flagship Castle Lily had already occupied the vertex positions of the fan-shaped formation, the battle situation became even more one-sided.

The destroyer’s main cannon might not be much against a cruiser or battleship, but when it comes to armed merchant ships, each shot was a kill. Civilian ships, without spending as much as building a new destroyer, had no way to compete with destroyers.

However, the ferocity and tenacity of the pirates were beyond everyone’s expectations. This silent fleet, which fired without making any signals or accepting any communication requests since its appearance, continued its attacks.

Frenzied attacks.

They did not allocate energy to their shields. Faced with the precise strikes of the Federation fleet, and their ships being destroyed one after another, they looked on indifferently, only desperately shooting erratically and charging forward with full power.

It must be said, this suicidal assault tactic was very effective. If they had allocated energy to the energy shields and engaged in a slow-paced positional attack against the Federation Special Fleet, they would at most survive a bit longer before swallowing the bitter fruit of defeat.

The Federation Fleet, relying on their high mobility, relatively stronger SkyNet system, and ultra-long-range, could send these pirate ships to hell one by one in an orderly manner. Therefore, long-range attacks were absolutely not a choice for these pirates. They needed a chaotic close combat!

Only in close combat could their torpedo boats and firepower numbers show their advantage. For this, they did not hesitate to charge and sacrifice at the beginning of the battle to eliminate the distance.

They achieved their goal. Despite SkyNet’s coordination and the steady retreat, twenty minutes later, the defensive line composed of the six escort ships with their power allocated to the energy shields was broken through by the pirate fleet at the cost of losing two Oklahoma armed merchant ships and five torpedo boats.

The battle reached a fever pitch. Both sides were fiercely pouring out firepower. At this distance, there was no need to aim, every shot hit the target! In an instant, the casualties on both sides rose sharply, each warship’s energy shield flashing dangerous red. The hulls were full of scars, with large chunks of heavy armor falling off and colliding in the entangled ships.

On the virtual screen of the Blue Rose, an Oklahoma armed merchant ship had already penetrated the side of the escort ship’s defensive line. It was turning, with the 680mm energy main cannon barrel on the ship’s bow gathering flickering red light threads. Ahead of the cannon’s muzzle, an escort ship dodging torpedoes had already exposed its belly.