Sky-cracking Rider

Adam: Direction 259, distance 17, speed 7.8

Adam: Direction 130, distance 14, speed 9.5

Adam: Warning, altitude 1.2

...

The view before Chen Fei's eyes completely changed, the physical presence of the cockpit vanished entirely, leaving only a 360-degree panoramic view. The clear sky turned dark, and the earth transformed into a three-dimensional contour map, the Crystal Jet "Shadow Skiff" dazzling like the sun, with the attack envelope like a halo encircling the aircraft. The attack angle projected from the nose intensely locked onto Chen Fei's tactical jet like a searchlight. At the same time, the trajectory simulation changed colors according to the approaching distance, turning warning yellow and threatening red, necessitating an immediate change in posture, or else face relentless attacks.

The AI "Adam," which took over the visual neural signals, displayed part of the effects of Psi Skill to some extent.

Far away in the Ordovician Star's abnormal region near the Gali Peninsula, a planetary-level compute node with Dragon Crystal at its core smoothly provided various complex computations. Optimized algorithms minimized the impact of data transmission delays as much as possible, even incorporating some lead time budget simulations, ensuring Chen Fei wouldn't easily fall into the attack rhythm of his opponent, Sky Knight "Light Asura" Ke Liang.

With changes in the visual interface, coupled with voice prompts from AI "Adam," Chen Fei just had to focus all his attention on his opponent, automatically filtering out insignificant details and distractions.

The effective distribution of attention had an almost immediate impact on enhancing combat capability, significantly reducing the hard power gap between Chen Xiao'er and a top-tier Sky Knight. As for the latter, "Light Asura" Ke Liang did not have such a treatment, relying entirely on talent, little did he expect Chen Fei's unexpected prowess, not only a rookie but also backed by a professional AI.

"Adam" might not surpass "Cybertrom," from the same origin, in other abilities, but in aerial combat adaptability, it could claim the title.

After all, "Cybertrom" primarily functioned as a social auxiliary AI, rather than for professional war purposes. The Blue Star human civilization widely utilized this AI derivative precisely for this reason, as nobody wanted their AI to be a war fanatic with a fixation on combat.

Therefore, "Adam" ended up in the hands of Chen Fei, finding its perfect match and undoubtedly realizing there's no better place for it.

45 seconds!

Surviving for 45 seconds in front of a top-tier Sky Knight whose true strength ranks in the top ten left many in astonishment.

This was not opportunistic against the top-tier Sky Knight "Arsonist" Manasseh Cheh from the Yangzhou Continent, but rather a head-on clash with genuine skill.

The simulated battlefield sky was nearly ignited by the intense combustion of white-hot combat.

Amidst missile trajectories from all directions, the Crystal Jet "Shadow Skiff" maneuvered smoothly as if strolling leisurely.

In reality, only Ke Liang himself knew that the combat capability displayed by this "rookie" was far from simple and that even a Sky Knight who just passed all basic training might lose in a direct confrontation if not careful.

Among private military contractors, he was undeniably one of the best combat pilots, not to be underestimated, having also mastered numerous aerial combat skills. Despite them being very traditional aerial combat techniques, his maneuvers were fluid and stable, clearly showing he had more to offer.

On the judge's stand, someone glanced at Old David, who remained calm, and casually remarked, "Eagle King, isn't your training course teaching too much?"

Commoners mastering military aerial combat skills obviously drew discontent from some members of the "Americas Gang."

"Bloodthirsty Strangulation" and "Hunting Sparrow Trajectory" were ancient aerial combat techniques that had lost much of their usefulness with the ongoing performance enhancements of Crystal Jets.

Yet the tactical jet deployed them skillfully, showing a foundation far beyond solid. Someone was clearly imparting even the hidden tricks with no reservations.

"Paid service, you get what you pay for, isn't it only right? And as long as they're willing to learn, I'm happy to teach. After all, these aerial combat techniques aren't exclusive to the American Federation. Shouldn't you be thanking the 'Lord of the Sky'? What happened? Turning against someone after entering the doors?"

Old David could clearly discern the underlying meaning in the other's words, responding with a three-pronged statement that advertised, laid traps, and rebuked.

Truly a seasoned veteran of the Jianghu, with age comes wisdom, pointing out the origin of current aerial combat techniques while the opponent clung to sectarian views, even hinting at the upcoming secret operations, nearly calling someone ungrateful and shameless.

If Chen Fei were part of the American Federation, even as a commoner, these people would undoubtedly remain silent, reveal their true intentions, borrowing the guise of sovereignty to create trouble and accumulate capital for related interests. In reality, Capitol Hill wouldn't care about such trivial matters.

"..."

The remark was left hanging, responding would be admitting defeat.

Seeing no reply, Old David smirked coldly; everyone had their circle. If they sought to escalate the situation, let them keep babbling.

Where there are people, there will be a Jianghu, and where there's a Jianghu, there will be those seeking a presence, often ending up finding a satisfaction from big mouths instead.

1 minute had passed, with ninety percent of the missiles no longer soaring, mostly exhausted of propellant fuel, self-destructing as they descended towards the ground.

The other three tactical jets and tactical bombers providing intermittent fire support from afar had consumed over half of their ammunition reserves. Especially the tactical bombers, drones, and landing crafts still had more than half surviving, largely because Ke Liang was unwilling to waste attack energy and effort without reason, and Chen Fei's side had a numerical advantage that kept him restrained, unable to fully unleash his potential.

Beep, beep, beep-beep...

The constant alert tone grew urgent once again. Like Chen Fei, Ke Liang also set the AI of his crystal jet to a warning distance, and just like sonar, the urgency of the alert tone indicated the opponent's proximity.

"'Hunting Sparrow Trajectory,' no, it's a mutation of 'Meteor Accompanying Moon'!"

Ke Liang's gaze accurately captured the position of the tactical jet, with several missiles closely following the left and right wings of the aircraft, not chasing the tactical jet but flying in formation.

The characteristic of "Meteor Accompanying Moon" is that offensive spells are maintained around it, ready to launch at any time; however, now the offensive spells have directly turned into offensive missiles, with similar effects.

Combining with missiles, such creativity is indeed admirable.

As long as the timing is right, it can launch an extraordinary strike that leaves the opponent defenseless in a short amount of time.

But this tactic isn't without its drawbacks, and they are quite apparent. The hang time of the missiles is limited, and if the battle isn't resolved within twenty seconds, even long-range missiles will quickly lose power and fall useless, effectively wasting these important self-guided weapons.

"Since it's 'Meteor Accompanying Moon,' then... I'll follow suit!"

The First Sovereign Sky Knight "Light Asura" Ke Liang immediately made a decisive move. His crystal jet "Shadow Skiff" released multiple particle beams, detonating more than a dozen missiles guarding the left and right wings of the tactical jet. Then, against the particle beams and magnetic rail projectiles fired from the opposite side, he charged straight in, with light converging above and below the wings, forming four poised Light Spears ready to strike.

Like "Lord of the Sky," "Light Asura" Ke Liang is also a rare light-based ability user and a dual practitioner of Battle Qi and Magic, both reaching Earth Order level with the support of sovereign-level resources.

In the simulated combat in the sky, the flight paths of the tactical jet and the crystal jet were almost identical.

"'Dragon Slayer Missile,' 1 remaining, fire!"

As a trump card for a kill strike, Chen Fei, as the defending side, had an advantage in the number of Element Annihilation Bombs, while the opponent only had one left.

As the KDK-1 scramjet hypersonic smart missile erupted fire and white smoke from its rear, a piercing alarm resounded immediately inside the cockpit of the crystal jet "Shadow Skiff."

In the face of the Element Annihilation Bomb, all beings are equal, Sky Knights or amateurs alike cannot withstand a single strike, truly deserving of being the pinnacle of tactical-level weapons.

"'Dragon Slayer Missile'? Are they insane?"

Noticing the tactical jet relentlessly following behind the KDK-1 scramjet hypersonic smart missile, the particle beam arriving later collided with the protective barrier of "Shadow Skiff," causing it to burst into fragmented light showers. The barrier trembled intensely, and Ke Liang couldn't help but take in a sharp breath, immediately realizing the opponent's intent was not to defeat him but to...

Mutual annihilation!

Ending in a draw would be a total disaster!

As the lead representative of the First Sovereign's top Sky Knights, if a mere commoner tied the match, it would cost more than just face—likely losing the trust of superiors and questioning whether they could still guard the sovereign sky with their abilities.

So, for Chen Fei, mutual annihilation meant winning; for Ke Liang, it meant losing, with entirely different significances for both sides.

"'Shadow Flash'!"

Confirming the opponent's intention, Ke Liang hesitated no more, activating the crystal jet's exclusive skill, disappearing instantly from the trajectory of the aerial combat skill "Meteor Accompanying Moon," leaving only the four Light Spears whoosh away at once.

Blue light suddenly erupted, filling the surrounding kilometer area in the blink of an eye. The four Light Spears released by the crystal jet "Shadow Skiff" just before the activation of "Shadow Flash" plunged into the Element Annihilation zone, vanishing without a trace the moment they entered.

The power of elemental annihilation is the ultimate restraint against all forms of energy, reducing both tangible and intangible things to nothingness.

The tactical jet pulled up fully, enduring immense overload, completing an "Immelmann Turn" during a roll maneuver.

Adam: Direction 3, Distance 4, Speed 7.8

???

Chen Fei dared not look back at all.