Sky-cracking Rider

Ke Liang did it on purpose, wanting to see these people from the "Americas Gang" feel awkward.

Little brother Chen Xiao'er secretly shouted 666, these seniors really know how to play, it's so satisfying to watch people get embarrassed.

"Ahem, let's hurry up, the 'ranking battle' is over, and we're about to head out."

Someone from the referee group pretended to remind them, quickly moving the situation along.

But the awkward atmosphere on the scene was hard to dispel, even those from the "Europa Gang," "Africa Gang," and "Asia Gang" who were clueless quickly sensed something was off, what exactly happened last night?

The pilots from The First Sovereign all smiled without saying a word.

"Boarding number 63 'Light Asura', aircraft 01, versus boarding number 748 'Rookie', aircraft 02, please board!"

The very first battle in the seventh round was surprisingly an inner struggle of The First Sovereign, strongest versus weakest.

In the same round, the proportion of The First Sovereign's internal battles reached one-third.

Aside from the 14 matchups in the seventh round, the simulation battles for the 29th to 56th places and the 57th to 100th places continued, unless one fights all the way to the top and becomes No.1 among numerous Sky Knights, one has to go through multiple battles to secure a spot in the top 100.

Those who couldn't break into the top 100 were so envious and jealous that their eyes were turning red, this is what it means to make a name for oneself.

Especially Chen Xiao'er, a mere commoner, what virtue or ability does he have to mingle among them, they wished to take his place so badly.

"'Rookie!'"

Before stepping into the flight simulator, The First Sovereign's Sky Knight "Light Asura" Ke Liang called out to Chen Fei next to the adjacent flight simulator.

"?"

Chen Fei turned to look over upon hearing the voice.

"I won't hold back."

Ke Liang wholeheartedly adhered to the principle of giving it his all against any opponent, as a sign of utmost respect.

"Neither will I!"

Chen Fei, full of fighting spirit, stepped into the flight simulator.

Having successfully entered the top 28 of the rankings, even if he lost this battle, it would still be a huge victory for him personally.

So regardless of who the opponent is, the result would be the same, just lie down and relax, no pressure at all, he could go all out at 120%.

The natural aura of The First Sovereign's top Sky Knights felt like a gentle breeze to Chen Xiao'er, whether it's an internal battle or an external one, just go for it, there's no need to overthink.

If possible, many people would probably want to drag this Rookie out of the flight simulator and replace him with themselves.

Getting to face a Sky Knight of Light Asura's level, win or lose, would be enough to boast about for a lifetime.

The higher-ups at Barksdale Air Force Base had very complicated feelings, they had manipulated the match list for the seventh round, it was not generated randomly.

Having "Rookie" Chen Fei go against "Light Asura" Ke Liang, almost predictably, this scorable throw to the latter seemed no less than directly sending The First Sovereign's leading figure Ke Liang into the eighth round's top fourteen ranking battle, just one step away from the top ten.

But the "Americas Gang" was really afraid of the extremely unpredictable variable that is Chen Xiao'er causing any more trouble, especially since even top-tier Sky Knights from Oceania Sovereignty had fallen, they were unwilling to sacrifice their top-tier Sky Knight to the opponent as well.

Even after consulting retired senior "Eagle King" David Sid, who had once trained Chen Fei, this crafty old man just smiled without saying a word, refusing to provide any valuable information, who knows what he's planning, maybe he's just advertising for his "Eagle Nest" to make more money, ugh! This selfish old fox.

"'Adam', immediately deploy all Combat Mechs, drones, Combat Mobility Armor, Tactical Jets, Tactical Bombers, Landing Crafts, all ground-air tactical units once you enter the simulation battlefield."

Artificial Intelligence AI "Adam" smoothly took over the main system of the flight simulator, and Chen Fei gave the order immediately.

AR visual assistance interface instantly switched to the cooperative ship's bridge scene, various monitoring and auxiliary interfaces neatly aligned into light curtain walls based on priority and common habits.

Upon landing on the simulation battlefield, the cooperative ship instantly reacted as if facing a great enemy, with all the railgun batteries, particle beam cannons, laser cannons, and missile nests ready to fire, side hatch doors wide open, and aircrafts roared out, filling the sky within a ten-kilometer radius in an instant, spreading out in all directions.

Adam: Direction 111, distance 175 kilometers, altitude 13,000 meters, speed 1.5 Mach, number of Crystal Jets 1

Adam: Target speed 2.3 Mach

Adam: Target speed Mach 3.5

Adam: Target speed...

...

Adam: Target speed Mach 10.5

As soon as Chen Fei's cooperative ship discovered the opponent, his opponent also noticed him.

When the Sky Knight, "Light Asura" Ke Liang's Crystal Jet "Shadow Skiff" broke through Mach 8, a dazzling aurora-like glow appeared in the sky. The hypersonic propulsion induced a plasma reaction, and the immense energy dissipation followed the rules of physical simulation, touching the planet's magnetic field, with a portion of the energy conversion turning into visible light waves.

From a distance, it looked like a meteor streaking across the sky.

"Anchor the ship in place, lock the target, open all firepower, 'Dragon Slayer Missile' fully prepared, Code No.1 to No.4, choose No.1, fire!"

Chen Fei, without any hesitation, went all out. Facing a powerful Sky Knight, any conservative tactics would only lead to a more miserable defeat. After catching up for so many days, even if he had to exit, he must do so as gracefully as possible. It wouldn't do justice to the hard efforts and dedication of those who invested their personal time and energy if he couldn't even hold out for a single round.

The railgun battery fired a salvo together, the visually striking chemical tracer of solid full-metal bullets whistling out in unison, followed by a straight blue-white beam and laser beams visible only through special optical lenses. A slew of missiles surged densely towards the rapidly approaching Crystal Jet within the blink of an eye, delivering a fierce and relentless first wave of attack.

He didn't maneuver the airship but launched a counterattack on the spot. Competing in mobility offered no real chance of success, so it was better not to move, to wait and strike.

On the other hand, firing from the spot helps ensure hit accuracy. Even if not concerned about the computational load, there are times when a fractional probability difference makes a world of difference. The result could be diametrically opposite due to an oversight.

The size of the Crystal Jet was there to see. While its defense wasn't weak, it wasn't superior either, definitely unable to match a combat spaceship. Moreover, Chen Fei's cooperative ship boasted defenses far exceeding those of typical combat spaceships, so when subjected to conventional firepower continuously focusing on the Crystal Jet, breaking the defense would only be a matter of time.

For both sides, being struck by the Elemental Annihilation Bomb would leave no distinction in the outcome — an instant vaporizing defeat was inevitable. Therefore, both had the capability of settling the battle in one strike. The Elemental Annihilation Bomb was the true balance breaker.

The Crystal Jet "Shadow Skiff" intruded into the 30 km danger zone set by Chen Fei almost instantly, frightfully fast. As it was on the "Americas Gang" territory, the set performance parameters might have been reserved and potentially more exaggerated in reality. Sprinting at 10 times the speed of sound took as brief as ten seconds, just enough for Chen Fei's cooperative ship to deliver two full-power salvos.

A burst of blue light suddenly bloomed, poking a giant spherical hole in the dense barrage, over two kilometers in diameter, swallowing almost an entire round of concentrated fire before disappearing into the simulated battlefield sky in the blink of an eye.

AI "Adam" scarcely had time to warn Chen Fei before a second Elemental Annihilation Bomb tore through the opening created by the previous bomb's barrage penetration, successfully closing in on the cooperative ship and unleashing its dreadful elemental annihilation power before the next wave of interceptive firepower arrived.

The cooperative ship hanging in mid-air had no time to evade, lightly "licked" by the annihilation radius of the Elemental Annihilation Bomb, causing an extensive loss of the port side, exposing the ship's internal compartments, leaving the flanking firepower points completely destroyed and incapable of retaliatory action.

Seizing the opportunity, the third Elemental Annihilation Bomb followed in quick succession, an attack rhythm that left no room for reaction was the hallmark of a top-tier Sky Knight.

This time, with almost the entire side lost, the cooperative ship had no capability to release blockading firepower. Previously launched tactical units couldn't return in time, while the top and bottom close-in firepower points couldn't form a tight firepower net. Wanting to intercept the Elemental Annihilation Bomb suddenly surging over Mach 3 was fundamentally beyond reach.

The blooming blue light finally engulfed the entire vessel. The Crystal Jet "Shadow Skiff" barely grazed past the annihilation radius edge. Without its high speed, it too would have almost been engulfed — a feat only achieved by those whose skill matched their courage.

Suddenly, the soaring Crystal Jet veered a thousand meters sideways to the left without warning, evading its previous flight path engulfed by a barrage, as a dozen aerial combat units aggressively dove down — tactical bombers, tactical jets, and in the distance, landing craft carrying combat mechs opened their hatches, setting up individual magnetic railguns to provide cover.

Once more, Chen Fei used the same old tactic, boarding one of the tactical jets ahead of time, mixing in with other tactical flying units, using the cooperative ship as bait, specifically to lure the Sky Knight "Light Asura" Ke Liang — a big fish he couldn't let slip.

It's just that this fish was substantial enough to easily drag both the bait and the angler into the water, leaving no clear idea as to who the prey or the hunter was.

"The same trick only works on a Sky Knight once!"

Ke Liang transmitted a congratulatory message to Chen Fei.

Even though it was the same trick, some variations were present this time, with additional combat flying units assisting.

"All is fair in war!"

Chen Fei responded without any timidity. If possible, he wouldn't hesitate to pull the opponent right out of the sky.

Due to the attack, the Crystal Jet slowed beneath Mach 8 as it pulled up, its speed picking up again, creating colossal energy fluctuation air cones leaving trails of condensation and vibrant light streaks — a grand spectacle.

The previously missed intercept missile cluster started turning back. As long as the rocket-propelled engines still had fuel, their mission was not over. Under the control of AI "Adam," calculations of both speeds and flight trajectories were made in an attempt to optimally set up an intercept formation.

"Even though you are not a Sky Knight, I hope you can fight me one-on-one like a true Sky Knight!"

The Sky Knight "Light Asura" Ke Liang always maintained due respect for Chen Fei's commoner background. Even though he wasn't a Sky Knight, he kept offering the utmost respect consistently.

In the judges' section, Old David couldn't help but clench his fists listening to the conversation between Chen Fei and Ke Liang, failing to become a true Sky Knight was almost the greatest regret of the "Eagle King" in his life besides not personally defeating the Lord of the Sky.