Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest

Randeno, the close-in weapons operator on the Grey Fish, was on the verge of collapse.

The Grey Fish was originally a decommissioned light escort ship that, after being stripped of its armaments, was auctioned off to a resource recovery company and eventually ended up in the hands of the Sirius Pirate Group.

This light escort ship had undergone many modifications, making its combat capabilities quite formidable. In addition to two main cannons and five secondary cannons, it was also equipped with seventy-six close-in weapon guns and multiple space torpedo launch systems.

You could say it was armed to the teeth.

However, against the Seventh Rapid Response Fleet's two new high-speed destroyers, the firepower of the Grey Fish was utterly outmatched.

Nevertheless, its close-in weapon interception was quite effective.

But despite having the aid of a weak AI firing system, Randeno, responsible for operating the two close-in weapons, found himself helpless against an attacking mech.

He recklessly pushed the close-in weapon's firing rate to its maximum, yet no matter how he aimed and locked on, he couldn't hit the SPB17 Phoenix within a hundred kilometers!

The pilot of the Phoenix seemed to possess a prophetic ability, always evading Randeno's volleys just in time, each close call never grazing even the paint.

Not only that, the opponent had also consecutively destroyed two of the Grey Fish's mechs.

"Die for me!"

Inside the turret, Randeno's eyes were bloodshot; his finger remained clamped down on the trigger, intending to use the densest barrage to down the SPB17 Phoenix that was bringing him shame.

But his frenzy brought ruin upon himself.

The Phoenix, having destroyed the second Star Pirate mech, suddenly altered its flight path, its two engines spewing ethereal blue flames, tracing a faint arc in the deep starry sky and, in a blink, closing in on the Grey Fish.

The next moment, the mech drew the Super Wave Slasher mounted on its rear wing and slashed fiercely at the star pirate warship's energy shield.

As a light escort ship, the Grey Fish's defenses were rather weak. This slash directly carved a large gash in its shield, causing localized energy dissipation.

Before it could recover, the SPB17 Phoenix agilely and swiftly penetrated the shield, delivering another slash to Grey Fish's outer armor.

The location was directly above the close-in weapon turret!

The long Super Wave Slasher effortlessly sliced through the thick armor plates, twisting violently to enlarge the breach.

The Super Wave Slasher was the proud black tech weapon of the Holy Light Empire, its technology unmatched worldwide.

The model equipped on the SPB17 Phoenix wasn't the latest, but its wave frequency exceeded thirty thousand cycles per second, providing immense cutting power against energy shields and metal armor.

The Slasher retracted, and the 150mm high-energy particle cannon mounted on its right arm aimed at the newly created gap, suddenly pulling the trigger.

"No!"

Inside the turret, Randeno watched this scene, letting out a heart-wrenching scream.

Boom!

The close-in weapon turret exploded under the high-energy particle beam's attack, causing a chain detonation of the energy blocks stored inside, ripping open a large gash on the Grey Fish's starboard upper side.

And upon achieving success, the SPB17 Phoenix first drifted back tens of kilometers, then boldly charged through the warship's breach into its internal region, completing a textbook, brilliant boarding maneuver.

At the controls of this SPB17 Phoenix was none other than Wang Chen.

Though this was his first sky combat exercise since joining active duty, the entire process from ejecting out of the pod to breaching the enemy ship went smoothly as moving clouds and water, perfect to the extreme.

Moreover, he was the first mech pilot among hundreds deployed from the Jiangyuan destroyer to successfully board a ship!

However, entering the star pirate warship didn't mean Wang Chen's mission was complete.

The complex internal structure of the ship hindered his path to the command cabin; the SPB17 Phoenix's wings unfolded simultaneously, firing off micro-missiles.

With a series of explosions, a tattered path unfolded before Wang Chen.

He switched the Phoenix to ground warfare mode, charging forward, brandishing the Warship Blade to cleanse the obstacles blocking his path.

The onboard computer had already completed an analysis of the enemy ship, projecting its structural map on the screen.

And at this moment, the interior of the Grey Fish was in total chaos.

Although this light escort ship hadn't been immediately bombarded by the Jiangyuan and River Sun's main cannons, hundreds of Imperial mechs like ravenous wolves shredded it to pieces in a short time.

The main engine of the Grey Fish was the first to suffer concentrated attacks; its operational efficiency dropped by 90%. It hadn't quite turned into a 'dead fish', but it was close.

If not for the Seventh Fleet's intent to capture this star pirate ship, it would have already fallen amidst the Imperial mechs' siege!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Inside the Grey Fish, realizing the looming disaster, the star pirates desperately tried to repulse the invading SPB17 Phoenix.

Yet, the particle beams from their assault rifles, hitting the Phoenix's outer armor, felt like mere tickles, unable to even scratch its surface.

While Wang Chen recklessly charged toward the command cabin, ruthlessly slaughtering any enemy daring enough to block his path.

Then, a small combat mech suddenly dashed out from a side corridor, raising a 100mm caliber particle cannon to ambush the SPB17 Phoenix.

Although it appeared very suddenly, it did not escape Wang Chen's Spiritual Energy scan.

Before the small mech could open fire, Wang Chen's big guy struck first, piercing it clean through!

The SPB17 Phoenix's 150mm high-energy particle cannon had a shooting rate of six rounds per minute, requiring ten seconds to charge before each shot. However, its power was more than ten times that of the 100mm particle cannon.

The star pirate's mech had a mass of only three to four tons; while it was agile enough for internal warship operations, its armor was so weak that it couldn't withstand a thunderous strike by the 150mm high-energy particle cannon.

The star pirate pilot inside the cockpit was blasted apart instantly, his blood and flesh splattering alongside metallic fragments, showering the surrounding pirate sailors.

Cries of pain rose and fell!

The star pirates' fighting spirit collapsed.

Facing the unbeatable SPB17 Phoenix, they all dropped their weapons.

Though some pirates, undaunted by death, continued to resist, most began fleeing towards the escape pod.

Wang Chen ignored these guys, paying no mind to the minor obstacles, charging straight toward the command cabin's location.

Because the Phoenix's size exceeded the internal corridor dimensions of the escort ship, he essentially bulldozed through using the Warship Blade and particle cannon.

Boom!

A thick metal hatch was forcibly blown open, exposing all those hiding inside.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the game is over!"

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The first update sent.