A Test of Raw Strength

"The concerns we had about raw strength have been cleverly mitigated by Moye's early preparations," Professor Zhuang said, a measure of relief easing his earlier tension.

So far, the initial exchanges between Moye's and Lianda's warships had ended in a draw—if anything, Moye's ships held a slight edge. But the small advantages gained from these delicate tactical maneuvers and counter-maneuvers would soon be offset by raw capability.

Overall, Lianda's cadets demonstrated formidable skill in piloting and controlling their warships. Especially notable were their two S-class solo soldiers with extensive starship combat experience.

Just as Professor Zhuang finished speaking, Lianda's S-class solo soldier, Kantans, piloting the Wanderer, destroyed a Moye warship at close range, found an opening, and headed straight for Moye's command ship.

He kept his distance, opened the Wanderer's cannons, and with clear intent, slammed several shots into the energy barriers of the two Qiwei-class ships guarding Moye's command vessel. After depleting them, he quickly turned back to Lianda's command ship to rearm.

As the cannon's energy gathered and the shot was about to fire...

Someone beat him to it, landing a precise hit directly on the Wanderer's cannon muzzle. That single strike silenced Kantans's ship. The entire vessel spun 360 degrees; the shot that never fired detonated inside the barrel, and the warship, which had been unscathed after destroying a Moye vessel, now blared alarms of 60% system loss.

To put it vividly: it was like a bratty kid about to spit at someone when a divine hand came down and slapped him across the mouth—knocking him senseless and making him swallow his own spit.

Kantans gritted his teeth, struggling to stabilize the Wanderer. He looked up and saw it was indeed Shen Shouli piloting the warship that had arrived.

He was the one at Moye Military Academy with the most starship combat experience.

"Though our overall level may be lower, I'd argue Moye's top tier is certainly higher than Lianda's," Senior Colonel Ren said with a satisfied nod.

Shen Shouli, who had been on everyone's mind before the league, had finally delivered a performance that truly impressed.

In Moye's earlier matches, Shen Shouli's performance had been merely adequate. He was like a multi-purpose tool—Xu Lingqu directed him to do whatever she needed.

As an S+ solo soldier, he showed no arrogance around her; his strategic role in Moye was no different from anyone else's, except when Xu Lingqu used him as bait.

This didn't match people's expectations of an S+ psychic solo soldier. Most wanted to see him strut in, act cool, and mow down opponents like grass, like the fictional male leads in interstellar romance novels.

Shen Shouli's demeanor at Moye was far too down-to-earth—like a brick, moved wherever needed. It didn't fit the image of a dazzling hero, but it suited Moye's tactical arrangements and needs.

Everyone had largely accepted and grown used to this state of his. But in this starship battle, he suddenly burst onto the scene, reminding them that he was the heir apparent of the Shen family, personally groomed by General Shen.

Shen Shouli gave Kantans no chance to escape. The next few shots landed precisely on the most vulnerable points of the Wanderer, driving its system loss to 94% within seconds.

What difference was that from being scrapped?

Kantans pushed the yoke hard, but the Wanderer's drive systems had completely collapsed.

Shen Shouli's final shot sent him out of the combat cocoon.

"Well, well, Young Master Shen does have game."

In the VIP spectator seats, Hei Yingzhi nodded approvingly as he watched Shen Shouli's smooth starship combat. "I was really afraid of him before the match. I studied him for days, and then out of nowhere comes Xu Lingqu."

"Beware the Shen Shouli trap! I also focused all my research on him before the match, but lucky for me, I knew from the first time I saw Xu Lingqu that she was special," Jinfang Taibai said with a hint of smugness.

Yun Yao mercilessly called him out: "You mean when you came to take secret photos and got caught red-handed?"

"And then she guided you right into a starship door, you hurt your nose, and had to go to the base medical office for treatment," Li Muyi added.

"Shen Shouli has always been strong in this area," Guan Chuanjun spoke up, but his tone sounded strange, almost bitter.

"Almost forgot—you really like competing with Shen Shouli, don't you?" Yun Yao's family had some influence on Capital Star, not as prominent as Guan Chuanjun's or Shen Shouli's, but she was well aware of certain Capital Star anecdotes.

His tone reminded Guan Chuanjun of Xu Lingqu's mockery that he had a crush on Shen Shouli, and he broke out in goosebumps.

"I stopped competing with him long ago. Shen Shouli is such a bore—who wants to deal with him? With his severe germophobia and his pampered young master temper," Guan Chuanjun said, rolling his eyes so hard they nearly disappeared.

To be fair, Shen Shouli had decent taste; after all, liking Xu Lingqu was only natural...

Before he could continue disparaging Young Master Shen from the VIP seat, the big screen cut to another scene.

A Moye warship broke through the outer battle ring alone and approached the Manta, Lianda's ship equipped with the photon cannon turret.

Tansen Meilin was startled. He had just received the news about Kantans and was cursing him for being a fool—how dare he approach Moye's command ship knowing Shen Shouli was lurking nearby!

And now, someone from Moye was replicating Kantans's move, charging alone into Lianda's territory as if to take on the Manta single-handedly.

"Destroy his ship and kill him! Let him taste what Kantans felt!"

Tansen Meilin gave the order, and three warships quickly converged on the Moye vessel, encircling it.

The Moye warship, however, remained unflustered. It weaved left and right, dodging most of the attacks, and even deliberately guided the three Lianda warships' fire onto the Manta!

Where did Moye produce a second person this skilled in starship combat?

Tansen Meilin was baffled, but the immediate concern was the Manta. Equipped with the photon cannon turret, it was his ultimate weapon, meant to deal massive damage to Moye's fleet in the final stages.

Because it could easily hurt friend and foe alike, it had to be positioned just right before use. Currently docked beside Lianda's command ship, its weapons were nonfunctional, making it no different from an ordinary civilian transport.

"Get rid of this annoying mosquito! Are you all useless? Three against one and you can't win?"

The director knew how to cut the feed—he switched directly to the view inside the Moye warship.

Jin flashed a smug grin while continuing his high-difficulty maneuvers.

So, it was that red-haired mosquito.