Sky-cracking Rider

"What, what are you saying? This is completely unfounded! Don't talk nonsense, I absolutely, absolutely did not mean that!"

Highstop Peninsula Defense Officer Plum didn't even realize his previously arrogant tone had unconsciously become humble.

Declaration of war?

What kind of outrageous talk is this!

Even with ten times the sovereignty of the Highstop Peninsula, they wouldn't dare make such a sound, especially since the capital is merely three hundred kilometers from the border. With a combat aircraft at full throttle, getting pinned and beaten down by The First Sovereign is practically a historical disgrace, isn't it!

Chen Fei is not like the low-caste commoners on the Highstop Peninsula. If he takes this call recording to The First Sovereign to report this misdeed, the sovereignty of the Highstop Peninsula would surely face repercussions.

"Then please adjust your attitude a bit!"

Chen Fei demanded confidently.

The fist determines status; this is an international norm.

Now that Chen Fei's First Airship Combat Cluster has beaten the Highstop Peninsula's Flying Ship Cluster to the point they're searching for their teeth on the ground, they have no reason to act tough before him unless they could miraculously turn the tide and reclaim their pride in this instant... but as things have turned out so poorly, that's obviously impossible.

"Could you please end the conflict, okay?"

Indeed! Only when they feel the slap on their face do they realize the pain; Plum's voice had taken on an imploring tone.

The sovereignty of the Highstop Peninsula of course has the power to initiate combat, but the power to end it lies with Chen Fei.

"A satellite with laser communication capabilities, preferably over the combat area."

Chen Fei decided to quit while ahead; after all, he had no territorial ambitions on that broken place called the Highstop Peninsula. Occupying it? Spare me the nausea.

"Oh, oh, I'll sort it out right away!"

Plum hastily ended the call; dragging it out even a minute longer could result in another combat airship being shot down, and the losses would be incalculable.

Laser communication isn't susceptible to EMP attacks; with fiber optic lines, fully integrated optical paths, and optoelectronic isolation combined, the anti-interference capability is relatively better, though not absolute.

The monk standing nearby caught a bit of the conversation, and tentatively asked, "Are those the guys from the Highstop Peninsula?"

To drive someone to the point of saying "Don't say I didn't warn you," achieving such a "not getting beaten feels uncomfortableski" feat, there aren't many on Blue Star who could do so; in most cases, people would immediately succumb—ha, a bunch of smartasses!

"They threw a whole bunch of EMPs, and now the situation is out of control!"

Chen Fei spread his hands, also feeling powerless; it seemed the Highstop Peninsula was also governed by the reckless ruling party!

An offline "Adam" is no different from the AI rebellion back in the day, causing a headache no matter who encounters it.

"They, they... how dare they!"

After a moment of shock, Miyoshi Xuesen bowed his head, put his hands together, and prayed sincerely for the other side: Namo Amitabha Buddha, may as many survive as possible.

The only civilization daring to engage in a war of attrition with Artificial Intelligence AI might be "Sagali."

Although the current mainstream AI is the derivative of the digital intelligence construct "Cybertrom," in terms of war adaptability, it still falls short of "Adam." Given this lesson learned, no one would repeat the mistake of strengthening "Cybertrom" regarding optimization of war weaponry and related tactics.

So, as far as warfare is concerned, in terms of AI, "Adam" remains the undisputed boss.

"Hope there are no side effects; Miyoshi, cover for me!"

Chen Fei had no connections to rely on, so he could only count on Miyoshi.

The monk was sent to his side with this in mind, using his connections within the Blue Star Global United Defense Committee; after all, you can't have dirt on others without having a bit of your own.

It's more about leverage and apprehension than connections; otherwise, who do you think you are?

Miyoshi Monk put down his clasped hands, patted his chest with one hand, and said boldly, "You can trust me to get things done!"

Switching seamlessly from the temperament of an enlightened monk to that of a gang leader, he pulled out his phone and continued to dial, uncertain how many of his old acquaintances were still alive.

About half an hour later, High Barrier Peninsula Sovereignty's Defense Officer, Plum, finally called Chen Fei. It was like begging ancestors to find a low-orbit satellite passing by with laser communication capabilities, offering only a communication window of just over ten minutes. He also sent the communication key via text message.

The satellite in space emitted a communication laser beam into the atmosphere, quickly targeting one of the attack ships.

The fierce outpour of firepower stopped abruptly, leaving only the protective barriers of the warring parties lightly rippling from residual attacks.

When Chen Fei contacted the First Airship Combat Cluster, the High Barrier Peninsula Sovereignty's Flying Ship Cluster had only four large combat spaceships left, relying on the thick skin of their protective barriers and the long health bar of their hull armor to barely hold on. Even so, they were all inevitably damaged.

Most of the carrier-based aircraft from the High Barrier Peninsula Sovereignty competing for air superiority with the First Airship Combat Cluster had been shot down, many of them exploding mid-air. The few survivors fled without looking back, leaving the battle with low morale. These remaining carrier-based aircraft headed straight for the High Barrier Peninsula, without any intention of returning to their carrier hangars.

The Tactical Jets had long used the combat records of encounters with Sky Knights during the "ranking battle" at Barksdale Air Force Base to upgrade their tactical models. Now, their tactical level could easily mop the floor with "rookies," and combat pilots with less than 500 flight hours were practically target practice, especially for the High Barrier Peninsula's army.

Even when facing a real Sky Knight in direct combat, the combined firepower of Tactical Jets and Attack Ships, with long and short-range capabilities, could potentially cause a careless Sky Knight piloting a Crystal Jet to taste defeat, even without using Elemental Annihilation Bombs.

After receiving Chen Fei's orders, the First Airship Combat Cluster, which had smashed the High Barrier Peninsula Sovereignty's Flying Ship Cluster, slowly regrouped its tactical units, resupplying while continuing to maneuver toward the Yangzhou Continent.

There were losses in battle, too: one attack ship and one logistics ship were shot down, Tactical Jets lost a third, while other tactical units had a damage rate of 20% to 40%. The remaining ships were somewhat damaged, but the ammunition reserves sent from the First Airship Combat Cluster made Chen Fei frown.

Engaging with the High Barrier Peninsula Sovereignty's Flying Ship Cluster in a battle with fewer forces led to the First Airship Combat Cluster consuming nearly 90% of the physical ammunition it carried, and the cargo holds of the five logistics ships were now empty. To restore full combat capability, replenishment from Chen Fei was necessary.

The consumption of warfare materials and loss situation, if converted to Star Yuan, could be many times the savings balance of Chen Fei. The sound of gunfire and artillery is worth its weight in gold; relying solely on his resources couldn't sustain any battle, no matter how small.

So, although it seemed Chen Fei was single-handedly engaged against the "Sagali" civilization, practically holding his ground, this was actually the result of joint support from Blue Star Sovereignty.

The heavily pummeled remains of the High Barrier Peninsula Sovereignty were truly at a loss.

From the start, they thought they were capable, then got in over their heads, and finally gave up. This battle was utterly meaningless, like a repeat of history.

The greatest lesson for humanity is that it never learns from its lessons, with the High Barrier Peninsula's sovereignty marking a heavy note on this.

While Chen Fei was entangled with High Barrier Peninsula Sovereignty's mess, unable to focus, the "Flood" of Mutants outside the city didn't subside. Instead, their numbers grew, launching a larger "Wave" that nearly covered the ground entirely, densely flooding toward Habulav, forming an unprecedented "Super Flood."

The city's defenses, having just caught a breath, immediately plunged into a state of emergency. This time, the city's reserve weaponry was truly insufficient. Even if the largest ammunition depot hadn't been detonated by internal conflict, facing such a menacing tide of Mutants would still be daunting.

A massive blue mist suddenly expanded a few kilometers from Habulav, blossoming one after another, encircling the city.

Wherever the blue mist covered, countless Mutants were disintegrated instantaneously, not even having the chance to roar, leaving no trace. The thickly sand-covered ground in the next second presented a huge round crater.

Some blue mist exploded in the sky, engulfing all the swarming Flying-type Mutants, leaving not a shred behind.

Despite Elemental Annihilation Bomb's ground release effects not being ideal and even causing irreversible geographical changes, Habulav had no other option. They could only use this drastic method to curb the situation where it felt like all Mutants from the entire Yangzhou Continent had gathered.

Besides, it seemed a high-level "Spirit Seed" had suddenly appeared in the city.

With internal and external troubles, they had to find a way to eliminate or delay one of them.

Within a few minutes, over a hundred Elemental Annihilation Bombs exploded outside Habulav, unleashing terrifying Power of Annihilation, creating a huge ring of craters surrounding the city. The threat posed by the Mutant "Flood" was drastically reduced. If ditches were connected between the craters, it would form a complete Moat, likely the thought of the ones who decided to use the Elemental Annihilation Bombs — effectively killing two birds with one stone.

However, there were drawbacks. The land routes between Habulav and the outside world would likely be affected, especially when deploying combat personnel for regular patrols or Mutant elimination, preventing the free choice of direction as before.

Due to the indiscriminate Power of Annihilation from the Elemental Annihilation Bombs, disregarding energy and matter, Chen Fei had to retract some spiritual power, trying his best to avoid the annihilation radius of the Elemental Annihilation Bombs, turning his attention back to the Mutants reaching Habulav's city walls.

```