Chapter 153: Chinese Players

The three factions hurled curses at one another relentlessly. Azure Starry Sky felt as though her luck had taken another turn for the worse, running into a massive enemy force yet again. Regardless, she decided they needed to crush the Japanese players into dust first.

Before she could even give the order, Fei, stationed in the central weapon bay, had already bottled up a bellyful of rage and decisively commanded, "Open fire!"

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang..." Eight rhythmic, continuous cannon blasts echoed as the Shark took the lead, sending eight 100mm high-explosive shells screaming through the air.

The Shark caught a lucky break; her hull was positioned broadside, allowing the front and rear eight naval cannons to unleash maximum firepower. Moreover, the distance between them had closed to within 2,000 meters. Of the eight shells, five scored direct hits on the bow deck of the Japanese fleet, striking three warships: the Chiyoda, the Itsukushima, and the Akitsu. The forward decks of the first two burst into blinding flames and billowed dust, sending Japanese players scrambling backward for cover.

The moment Fei opened fire, Dune Witch immediately activated the weapon monitoring radar: "Damage rate—"

Azure Starry Sky gasped in astonishment, "The hull defense of the Japanese ships is actually higher than ours? It can't be made of twenty-four-element alloy, could it?"

Moon Shadow Autumn Yarn nodded knowingly and said, "Engage the energy boost system, turn 15 degrees to port, and circle around to the flank to fire."

Azure Starry Sky and Moon Shadow Autumn Yarn made a slight tactical miscalculation this time. With a 3-versus-2 disadvantage and opened distance, their firepower wasn't superior. However, Xiaoyao's command style was fiercely aggressive.

The moment Xiaoyao saw the three opposing cruisers were allied and realized that once they coordinated and formed a battle formation, he would inevitably be at a disadvantage, he acted on the old adage: "Strike first to gain the upper hand; strike last and suffer disaster."

After pondering for merely a few seconds, Xiaoyao made an incredibly reckless decision: "All hands on board, launch the torpedoes! Blow up the Itsukushima in the center! Engage auxiliary power, crank maximum speed to 78 knots, and ram them! Ram the sons of bitches!"

Across the magnificent, rolling ocean surface, a 450mm medium torpedo darted through the water like a small shark. Bearing sharp, gleaming teeth, it zipped straight toward the Itsukushima at the center of the Japanese fleet. Thermal-tracking torpedoes of this type were notoriously difficult to evade, especially since the maneuverability of massive warships could never match that of nimble speedboats.

The scene inside the Itsukushima's command cabin mirrored the Shark's earlier chaos—total pandemonium. Commander Jubei Yagyu bellowed, "Baka!" The torpedo struck the bow of the Itsukushima precisely as desired. The resulting explosion was so magnificent it made one marvel at the beauty of this virtual world.

The ship was not blown to the bottom, which fell entirely within Xiaoyao's calculations. However, the Longfeng surged forward instantly. Xiaoyao had calculated this gamble down to the millimeter. He belonged to that breed of ruthless daredevils who loved to risk it all. He knew the Japanese held the upper hand and certainly wouldn't want to perish together. If you chose to "commit suicide," they would undoubtedly dodge out of the way—it was only human nature.

Furthermore, everyone had traveled through untold hardships to reach this place; dying and getting sent back now would be a massive waste.

The Itsukushima was nearly capsized by the concussive force of the torpedo. By the time its propulsion and drainage systems rebooted and the hull sluggishly turned around, the Longfeng was already charging forward with unstoppable momentum. The distance had closed to under 1,000 meters, with searchlights completely illuminating the Itsukushima's bow deck. Moreover, the Longfeng plowed forward right through the concentrated artillery fire of the Chiyoda and the Akitsu. Its hull took countless hits, sprouting fires everywhere as metal and glass shattered into pieces, causing the damage rate to spike instantly to 11.4%.

Warships operated on the same principle as chip-warrior alloy armor; once the damage rate hit 100%, they were completely scrapped. Even more dangerously, once a warship's damage rate exceeded 85%, its compromised drainage system would cause it to slowly sink.

Xiaoyao didn't care about any of that. In life, he loathed the Japanese above all else, treating them like mortal enemies. He would never dare to be this audacious in reality, but this was a virtual world. To hell with cooperation or morality—when encountering Japanese players, a life-or-death brawl was the only option.

The distance between the Longfeng and the enemy continued to shrink, dropping below 500 meters until the contours of both ships were crystal clear. A line of chip warriors had already appeared on the bow deck, holding eight-element alloy shields to form a dazzling, solid formation. Behind them, the gunners had disengaged their safeties and locked and loaded their weapons. FAMAS, M4, AK, MP—everything was prepped and ready, waiting only for the final closure.

Xiaoyao was a man of substance; he knew that the single most important element in a clash between armies was "morale." Losing face or position was acceptable, but losing morale was strictly forbidden. Once morale weakened, combat effectiveness plummeted right along with it.

"Damn it!" Xiaoyao roared through the broadcast system, "Brothers and sisters, kill one Japanese dog, and I'll drop a 10,000-point bounty! A promise is a promise—even if it bankrupts me, I'll pay!"

"Roar——!" Morale at the bow of the Longfeng skyrocketed. Everyone raised their weapons high toward the heavens in fierce solidarity, their blades gleaming with a predatory light amidst the pouring rain. Every face, regardless of gender, wore an expression of unyielding determination.

Finally, the two vessels stood only 300 meters apart. The shipborne cannons had lost their utility, but all individual infantry weapons were now well within range. At that moment, the gunfire cracked like popping soybeans, sounding even louder than the rain. Pressuring the enemy with sheer dominance and shielded by the chip warriors, the crew of the Longfeng fired like madmen. The targets were large enough that recoil barely impacted accuracy. The sparks splashing off the hull of the Itsukushima glittered like a sky full of stars, flashing everywhere.

While the firepower of personal firearms couldn't compare to heavy artillery shells, having so many people roasting this "spicy-strange bean" together drove the damage rate up at an alarming pace, reaching 12.7% within mere minutes.

"Bakayaro!" Jubei Yagyu felt so depressed he coughed up blood. The players from the China region genuinely dared to put their lives on the line, keeping the Itsukushima pinned down and unable to lift its head.

However, the Japanese players were no idiots. The nearby Akitsu quickly closed in to return fire, and dozens of Destroyer heavy machine guns instantly spewed crazed tongues of flame. The shield wall in the front row could no longer hold, forcing the personnel from the Arctic Snow Corporation to begin falling back.

On the other side, the distant Chiyoda and the Shark had also engaged in battle. Both warships traded heavy artillery fire, and both developed multiple blazes across their hulls.

"Activate the torpedo launch bay," Moon Shadow Autumn Yarn ordered in a deep, resolute voice.

The Shark's torpedoes differed little from the Longfeng's; impact brought another wave of blinding fire, causing the enemy hull to lurch violently and knocking their shipboard cannons off target. Seizing those dozen-odd seconds of disorientation, Fei seized the precious opportunity to unleash two more rounds of gunfire.

Wu Hua and the others could only watch from deep inside the cabin, as the outside world had transformed completely into a sea of fire. With both warships constructed from multi-element alloys, this was destined to be an arduous war of attrition, echoing the Chinese War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression from many decades ago.

Azure Starry Sky frowned deeply. "If this keeps up, it's going to be bad. The Longfeng is caught in a crossfire between two ships and will be sunk sooner rather than later."

Dune Witch remarked, "They're enemies anyway. Getting sunk doesn't matter."

"Silence," Azure Starry Sky snapped coldly.

Dune Witch startled; the big sister rarely lost her temper.

Azure Starry Sky said coldly, "What friend or enemy are you talking about now? The ones fighting desperately over there are our fellow Chinese. If the lips are gone, the teeth feel the cold—do you understand this principle? Remember, no matter where you are, you are forever Chinese."

With that, Azure Starry Sky glanced at Moon Shadow Autumn Yarn. Moon Shadow Autumn Yarn nodded, picked up the walkie-talkie, and announced, "Attention aviation units, the elevator system will engage in 10 seconds to commence combat operations."

Dancing Angel and Black Mountain Elf were both stationed in the lower deck at that moment. Hearing the deafening roar of artillery outside and feeling the hull shudder repeatedly, upon receiving the order, both took a deep breath. "It's finally our turn to take the stage."