79: Chapter 79: Baki Lulu's Tactics, Luo Lan's First Defeat

“It’s off! I’m going to hit you, get out of the way!”

“Who pushed me?! I didn’t move!”

“This steering wheel... no, the joystick is veering to the right on its own!!”

“Ugh—I’m sorry, I couldn’t hold it in...”

Fighters in reality are indeed much more 'durable' than in simulators.

Occasional scrapes and minor-angle collisions, apart from leaving scratches on the armor and causing the onboard AI to issue a voice prompt of “minor structural stress, repeated collisions advised against,” didn't cause much trouble.

The entire airspace seemed to become a giant, invisible bumper car arena, with a group of rookie pilots stumbling around, looking comical.

The adaptation process was slower than expected. Apart from Chu Xinghe, Luo Lan, Chen Jingyi, and Chen Yao, who were clearly veterans with real piloting experience and could steadily maintain their formation positions, even having the leisure to joke and guide in the channel, most others were in a state of “struggling to survive.”

Li Yuan finally managed to stabilize the fighter in a general direction, sweat already beading on his forehead.

Laya, after the initial dizziness, seemed to find a certain rhythm. A faint glow subtly circulated behind her—that was her unconsciously mobilizing her Angelic Power to balance her own state.

Soon, she became excited: “Brother Li Yuan! I think I’ve got the hang of it! Look at that wrinkle, it fluctuates for about 0.3 seconds each time, we can push the stick earlier!”

Li Yuan tried to perceive it as she said, and indeed felt the controls become smoother. He couldn't help but laugh, “That’s amazing, Laya, you even noticed that.”

“Of course!” Laya’s voice was full of pride, “I’m Brother Li Yuan’s Guardian Ang... ahem, partner!”

Just as Li Yuan’s squad and most others were still grappling with the spatial wrinkles, Chu Xinghe’s smiling voice suddenly came through the channel:

“Luo Lan, it seems everyone still needs some time to warm up. If you’re bored, how about we play a bit first?”

Luo Lan immediately responded: “Couldn’t ask for more!”

The next second, the two fighters that were leading the formation suddenly broke away from the queue, their engine afterburners flaring brightly, like two shooting stars, one after another, streaking towards the more open airspace.

“Wow! Senior Brother Chu and Luo Lan are going to duel!”

“Quick, quick, switch the camera angles!”

“Bets are open, bets are open! I bet on Senior Brother Chu to win!”

“Luo Lan’s Heavenly Drive is a divine prediction skill, I bet on Luo Lan!”

The channel was instantly flooded with exclamations from those who enjoyed the spectacle, and many even temporarily forgot their airsickness, trying to adjust their posture to see more clearly.

The distant starry sky became their stage.

Luo Lan’s fighter was like a phantom, every maneuver precise and efficient. Often, just as Chu Xinghe showed a tendency to move, he had already taken an advantageous position or completed an evasion.

Sudden stops, rolls, Cobra maneuvers, barrel rolls followed by instantaneous changes in direction... various high-difficulty tactical maneuvers were executed with ease, dazzlingly fluid.

“Heavenly Drive truly lives up to its reputation.” Even Chen Yao praised in the channel, “Its prediction of AI and conventional tactical patterns is almost 100%.”

Chu Xinghe’s fighter, on the other hand, appeared much more “conventional,” with standard movements but always seemed half a beat slower than Luo Lan, constantly passively dodging and seeking opportunities, with occasional counterattacks easily evaded by Luo Lan.

“It seems Senior Brother Chu mainly relies on rich experience; when it comes to extreme piloting reactions, a talent like Luo Lan is superior,” someone began to judge.

Luo Lan himself grew increasingly confident. After a beautiful series of evasive maneuvers, dodging several simulated shots from Chu Xinghe, he even had the leisure to say in the public channel: “Senior Brother, I accept your concession.”

However, before he finished speaking—

A silent, unannounced simulated high-energy beam suddenly shot out from a piece of “floating metal debris” below the side of his fighter, “piercing” the cockpit area of the Lin Xiao Fighter Jet.

[Hit judgment: Cockpit destroyed. Outcome: Shot down.]

The cold system prompt sounded simultaneously in Luo Lan’s cockpit and the public channel.

Luo Lan’s smile instantly froze.

His fighter slowly stopped maneuvering, frozen in place. The channel was utterly silent.

“Wha... what happened?”

“Where did the attack come from?”

“That wreckage... it’s alive?!”

“Heavenly Drive didn’t predict it?”

Chu Xinghe’s fighter leisurely flew next to Luo Lan’s fighter, and his smiling voice echoed in the public channel:

“The Bagilulu Tactic. By pre-positioning and disguising remote weapons or concealed turrets as debris or drifting objects, then suddenly launching an attack when the enemy enters absolute range, compressing their reaction time to almost zero.”

He paused, then added:

“Oh, by the way, your father taught me this trick a few months ago in the military. He said, ‘On a real battlefield, what your eyes see and what your sensors display can only be trusted 70%. The remaining 30% must be guessed, calculated, or even gambled on with your heart.’”

Luo Lan was silent for a full five seconds. He replayed the Heavenly Drive prediction from just now; Heavenly Drive had predicted it, but he was too close to react in time.

Then, his muffled but utterly convinced voice came through the public channel: “...I’ve learned a lot, Senior Brother Chu.”

“Hahaha!” Chu Xinghe laughed heartily, “Good, you’re a good sport! Practice more when you have time; this move works wonders against opponents who rely on a single prediction system.”

This brief yet spectacular duel was like a shot in the arm and a vivid practical lesson. The freshmen, who had been feeling dizzy, all perked up.

The subsequent formation training showed significant improvement.

Chu Xinghe no longer just led, but began to explain in detail the key points of various basic tactical formations: how wingmen in a two-plane formation supported the lead plane, the firepower coverage and mutual support of a four-plane diamond formation, how to maintain relative positions against a backdrop of spatial wrinkles...

Li Yuan and Laya’s cooperation gradually improved. Laya’s excellent spatial perception and Li Yuan’s calm judgment complemented each other, and their fighter quickly became a relatively stable part of the squad.

Elia, piloting with Chen Yao, also became smoother in her movements, even able to complete some formation changes that required precise control.

Chen Jingyi was the most relaxed—she simply let the auxiliary robot handle most of the stable controls.

Time flowed by in focused flight. When Chu Xinghe announced that this adaptive piloting training was about to end, many still felt they hadn't had enough.

Li Yuan looked through the cockpit at the vast escort fleet outside the viewport, stretching to the horizon. A steel torrent of over fifty thousand warships of various types moved rhythmically through the dark star sea, their engine lights like a brilliant galaxy.

Further away, the two ruler-class planet battleships stood like moving metal mountains, silent and majestic.

An indescribable sense of awe and curiosity welled up in his heart.

When the channel switched back to the internal squad line, Li Yuan couldn't help but speak, with a hint of longing and probing:

“Senior Brother Chu, um... will we have a chance to go up there during our internship?”