241: With the addition of the Winged People, they are the absolute kings of aerial combat!

Travel inside the Wormhole was monotonous yet psychedelic.

Outside the windows, bizarre Spacetime Turbulence looked like a pot of boiling colored paint, devoid of logic or shape. In this environment that transcended three-dimensional perception, time and space lost all meaning. Only the constant gravity system and the faint hum of circulating air inside the spaceship reminded everyone that they were still alive.

But inside the Virtual Combat Hall of the "expedition," the atmosphere was as explosive as an erupting volcano.

"I refuse to accept this!"

A rough roar shook the very air.

"War Wolf" stood bare-chested, revealing muscles as tough as iron, covered in holographic scars left by virtual training (which didn't hurt, but signified "death"). He pointed at the slender Winged Human Race commander opposite him, whose white wings were folded behind her, divine majesty eyes filled with the arrogance and disdain of humanity's strongest Soldier King.

"Commander Lu! I don't understand!"

"War Wolf" turned around, looking at the calm young man on the high platform, and questioned loudly, "We are going to the center of the Milky Way Galaxy! We're going to fight those monsters that swallow stars whole! Bringing this bunch of—"

He glanced at the Winged Human Race warriors, who were so beautiful they looked like they stepped out of a painting, and forced himself to swallow the word "sissies," replacing it with another term.

"What good is bringing these artists?"

"Their ships are as fragile as paper. Although they are fast, they are just sitting ducks under saturation fire! What can they do on the battlefield besides dying and wasting resources?"

Although these words were harsh, they represented the true feelings of most human soldiers.

In the eyes of the Earth Corps, which favored heavy firepower, thick armor, and massive dreadnoughts, the Winged Human Race's ships—which prioritized streamlined aesthetics and even retained decorative wing structures—were simply space vases. War is not a dinner party, much less an art exhibition!

Facing "War Wolf's" skepticism, the opposing Winged Human Race commander—a tall woman named "Ling"—did not fly into a rage.

She simply adjusted her Silver Battle Armor gracefully, a cold glint flashing in her pale golden eyes.

"Human strongman, are you questioning our courage or divine majesty judgment?"

Her voice was clear and cold like a spring, yet carried an inherent arrogance.

"I only believe in fists!" War Wolf snorted coldly. "On the battlefield, only those who survive are qualified to talk about courage!"

"Enough."

Lu Chen, who had been silent, finally spoke.

He sat in a Hover Chair, toying with a delicate Winged Human Race spaceship model in divine majesty hand, a playful curve forming on divine majesty lips.

"Since neither of you accepts the other, let's stop wasting words."

"heavenly craft."

[Yes, Master.]

"Activate the Full-Simulation Combat System. Terrain: Complex Asteroid Belt. Mode: Encounter Battle."

Lu Chen lifted divine majesty eyelids, divine majesty gaze sweeping over War Wolf and Ling, finally settling on War Wolf's face, which was etched with defiance.

"War Wolf, you take a squad of 'Kunpeng' Fighters."

"Ling, you take a squad of 'Wind God' Fighters."

"Whoever loses will be responsible for washing the other side's battleship deck for a month. Any problems?"

"No problem!" War Wolf sneered, cracking divine majesty knuckles. "Brothers, prepare the detergent! These bird people's ships are too clean; we need to get some grease on them!"

Ling glanced at him coldly, her wings slightly unfurling behind her, radiating a sharp aura.

"The Winged Human Race never fears a challenge. Even in a virtual world, we will defend the glory of the sky."

Five minutes later.

Virtual Battlefield, Simulated Asteroid Belt.

This was a sea of deathly debris. Countless meteorites of varying sizes drifted and collided chaotically in the void. The complex gravitational environment and dense obstacles made this place a nightmare for interstellar battleships.

"Boom—!!!"

As the countdown hit zero, ten "Kunpeng" Fighters, entirely black and menacing in appearance, roared to life like tigers released from a cage, instantly engaging afterburners!

The deep blue ion streams sprayed from the tails carved ten straight trajectories in the dark space. War Wolf sat in the cockpit of the lead Fighter, divine majesty eyes under the full-coverage helmet fixed on the radar screen.

"Attention, everyone! Maintain tight formation! Activate Omnidirectional Shields!"

"Once the enemy is spotted, launch saturation fire immediately! Don't give those bird people a chance to show off their maneuvers!"

"Roger!"

Human tactics were simple and brutal, but often the most effective when faced with absolute power. In War Wolf's view, the Winged Human Race's thin-skinned ships would disintegrate instantly if merely grazed by the "Kunpeng's" Gravity Cannon!

However, to divine majesty surprise, the radar screen was completely silent.

No signal, no energy fluctuations, not even debris from impacted meteorites.

"Strange, where did these guys hide?"

War Wolf frowned, a faint sense of unease rising in divine majesty heart.

Just then, a piercing alarm suddenly blared in divine majesty ear!

[Warning! Warning! High-energy signature, six o'clock position!]

"What?!"

War Wolf abruptly turned divine majesty head. Through the Panoramic Cockpit, he saw a scene he would never forget.

In the shadow of the massive meteorite behind them, ten "Wind God" fighters—pure white and nimble as swifts—had silently glided behind their formation, utilizing the Gravitational Slingshot Effect of the meteorite with their engines completely shut down!

This was a ghost that defied common physics!

"Break formation! Break formation now!"

War Wolf roared hoarsely, simultaneously yanking the control stick, attempting a high-difficulty Cobra Maneuver to escape the lock.

But it was too late.

Instead of using crude energy cannons like the humans, the "Wind God" Fighters simultaneously deployed the precise, feather-like Crystal Arrays on both sides of their wings.

"Buzz—"

A strange, high-frequency Oscillation Wave instantly swept across the entire airspace!

This was not an explosion, but a precise interference targeting the shield frequency!

The next second, War Wolf realized in horror that divine majesty proud "Dimensional Shield" had extinguished amidst that strange fluctuation!

"Now!"

Ling's clear, cold voice echoed through the public channel.

The ten "Wind God" Fighters ignited their engines instantly!

They did not fly in straight lines but moved like ten storm-tossed petrels, instantly cutting into the center of the human formation using zigzag trajectories that were incredibly bizarre and highly contrary to aerodynamics (even though there was no air in space)!

Those maneuvers were practically dancing!

They utilized every meteorite, every gravitational fluctuation, and even the wake exhaust from the human Fighters' engines as leverage points. They moved through the dense network of gunfire with the composure of someone strolling in their own backyard!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A series of muffled bursts sounded.

Although the human "Kunpeng" Fighters were tough and durable, having lost their shield protection and facing point-blank attacks, they instantly became sitting ducks!

The Winged Human Race's weapons were not designed to explode battleships, but to "cut" them!

They used High-Energy Cutting Rays, precisely severing the "Kunpeng" Fighters' engine energy supply lines, attitude control thrusters, and even the fire control radar of their weapon systems!

In less than thirty seconds.

The battle was over.

All ten "Kunpeng" Fighters lost power, drifting in space like ten pieces of scrap metal.

As for the ten "Wind God" Fighters, none were damaged, save for a few surface scratches!

Total defeat!

A thorough and complete rout!

When the simulation finished, War Wolf climbed out of the Simulation Pod completely stunned. divine majesty usually arrogant face was now filled with existential doubt.

He lost?

Lost to a group of "artists" he despised?

And in divine majesty most favored mode of direct confrontation, he was toyed with and defeated like a monkey performing tricks?

"How... how is this possible..."

Not only him, but all the human soldiers present fell silent. The recording of the battle just now played repeatedly in their minds: that flowing coordination, that skill of utilizing the environment to the extreme, that elegance of dancing on a knife's edge...

Was this really aerial combat?

This was nothing short of a deadly art performance!

"There's nothing impossible about it."

Lu Chen's voice broke the silence. He walked up to War Wolf, handed him a towel, and then turned to look at Ling, the Winged People commander who was elegantly stepping out of the Simulation Pod, divine majesty eyes full of appreciation.

"You all made one critical mistake."

Lu Chen looked at the disheartened human soldiers, divine majesty tone serious.

"You thought the Winged Human Race were weak? Wrong."

"They are the natural Children of the Sky. On their Homeworld, the gravitational environment is extremely complex, and atmospheric turbulence is powerful enough to shred steel. They are a race that learned to fly within storms."

"For them, piloting a spaceship isn't operating a machine; it's extending their own bodies. That keen perception of space, gravity, and inertia is an instinct etched into their genes!"

"I performed a 'heavenly craft' modification on their spaceships, preserving their greatest strength—flexibility—while simultaneously compensating for their shortcomings in firepower and defense."

Lu Chen's gaze swept the room, divine majesty voice ringing with power.

"Now, they are the most elite assassins under this starry sky!"

"If your 'Earth Expeditionary Force' are the Heavily Armored Knights who charge head-on, then they are the Ghost Hunters who move through the shadows!"

"You cannot win a war with only a greatsword and no dagger."

"Now, does anyone still think they are burdens?!"

A complete silence.

Not a single person spoke.

The gaze of all the human soldiers toward the Winged Human Race warriors completely changed. It was no longer contempt and disdain, but genuine respect, even awe!

In this army where the strong are respected, strength is the best pass!

War Wolf took a deep breath and strode up to Ling.

He was two full heads taller than Ling, divine majesty massive body like a small mountain.

Ling raised her head slightly, her pale golden eyes watching him calmly, without the slightest retreat.

"I lost."

War Wolf's voice was heavy and muffled, yet unusually clear.

"You are very strong. Much stronger than I imagined."

He suddenly grinned, revealing a slightly fierce but sincere smile, and extended divine majesty large, fan-like hand.

"Welcome to the 'expedition' Legion, bird— *ahem* —Winged Human Race brothers and sisters."

"From now on, my back is in your hands!"

Ling looked at the large hand extended toward her, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, followed by an elegant curve on her lips.

She extended her slender hand and firmly shook War Wolf's calloused large hand.

"The honor is ours, human strongman."

"As long as the 'Wind God' is flying, not a single shell will land on your backs."

"This is the promise of the Winged People."

Watching this scene, Lu Chen smiled.

He knew that only at this moment did this mixed fleet, composed of two vastly different civilizations, truly gain a soul!

"heavenly craft."

He silently repeated in divine majesty mind.

[Yes, Master.]

"Record this."

"This is the first handshake between human civilization and alien civilization."

"And it is our first step toward becoming the Overlords of the Milky Way."

[Recorded.]

heavenly craft's voice carried a hint of satisfaction.

[Master, there are thirty minutes remaining until arrival at the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy.]

[We are about to pass through the Wormhole and enter truly Unknown Star Fields.]

The smile on Lu Chen's face slowly faded, replaced by unprecedented solemnity and fighting spirit.

He turned around and walked back onto the Command Platform, divine majesty gaze piercing the bridge's dome, as if seeing the terrifying storm awaiting them in the depths of the endless darkness.

"Everyone, return to your stations!"

divine majesty voice instantly spread throughout the entire fleet!

"Rest period over! General mobilization, Level One Combat Readiness!"

"Final system self-check!"

"Target: Edge of the Milky Way Galaxy!"

"We are..."

"Going out!"