Under the watchful eyes of the entire Star Net, the scene unfolded.
The very starship that had just obliterated the student mechas pivoted. Following the movements of the main flagship, countless small combat drones let out a collective roar, executing a perfect turn to face the overwhelming enemy fleet head-on.
In an instant, the scales of power shifted. Although both sides possessed titan-class flagships, the enemy’s combat flagship commanded an entire integrated fleet, supported by a sea of combat mechas and fighters—unlike the logistics department flagship, which was flanked only by small combat drones.
It was a mirror image of the scene from a minute ago, yet in this second, the roles of hunter and prey had been swapped.
Could they succeed? Or rather, how long could they hold out?
With the chaotic interference cleared, the tactical situation on the battlefield was plain for all to see.
The sole surviving Team 18 consisted of six members. One regular member remained in the rear, commanding the starship and the drones. The other regular member led four substitutes—a five-man squad piloting combat mechas, poised for a ferocious sortie.
At this moment, everyone knew Team 18 was already the champion of the competition, but everyone also believed they would ultimately lose this final encounter. It was merely a matter of time.
But was defeat truly certain? Or... was there still hope?
Clinging to a sliver of hope buried deep in their hearts, the audience held their breath. Every second in the holographic simulation felt both fleetingly fast and agonizingly slow.
First, Team 18’s drone swarm moved. This unit, composed of basic robots, followed the singular command of Feng Zhixi.
The array of drones, which had seemed massive when compared to the students' mechas, now appeared like a drop of water in the ocean as it charged toward the enemy fleet. Against the gargantuan fleet, they looked like ants trying to shake a giant tree—tiny and pathetically fragile.
As the enemy fleet’s muzzles began to glow with an eerie blue light and a tide of mechas and fighters swept forward, the spectators assumed this suicidal drone swarm was finished.
And yet... Huh? What?!
On the Star Net, a viewer muttered in a daze, "Am I seeing things? They weren't hit?!"
After a round of overlapping, carpet-bombing fire from the enemy fleet, Team 18’s drone swarm regrouped behind the wall of fire. Not a single drone had been lost.
Amidst the shock, some users pulled up the slow-motion replay. Only then did they realize that within the massive "fishing net" woven by the enemy’s fire, every single drone had precisely identified the gaps in the mesh, slipping through silently and with ease.
The Star Net went wild. "What kind of god-tier micro-management is this?!"
However, the miraculous maneuvers that would truly leave them slack-jawed were still to come.
Finally, just as the enemy fleet was preparing a second, even denser volley, the five-man mecha squad led by Ji Yeran made their move.
As the squad slipped silently into the fray, the audience witnessed the pinnacle of individual pilot skill.
Unlike the twenty-four-man charge previously led by Ji Wei, this five-man strike team did not display reckless bravado. Instead, they moved with effortless grace and calm, their coordination as natural as a waltz in the sky.
Every transition, every elegant maneuver, every turn was as fluid as a fish darting through water or a bird gliding through the air.
Under the lead of the commander’s mecha, the five-man squad seemed to treat the entire interstellar battlefield as their personal domain, soaring and diving at will.
The audience soon noticed that while the squad appeared to be constantly weaving and dodging, their trajectory was actually a straight line aimed directly at the enemy flagship. Along their path, no enemy could withstand a single exchange.
It was then that everyone realized: this squad was executing a decapitation strike!
A true, literal decapitation mission!
At this point, not just the Star Net audience, but even the members of the organizing committee—who had seen many great storms—felt a surge of inexplicable excitement. Who hadn't felt the hot-blooded impulse of youth?
Seeing such a team—young, aggressive, unstoppable, and sharp—who wouldn't hope for them to pull off a final, desperate reversal?
Closer... they were getting closer...
Just as the five-man squad reached the inner sanctum of the enemy and neared the flagship’s defensive perimeter, the enemy flagship finally began to take these "annoying gnats" seriously.
Slippery as eels, the strike team’s persistence forced the holographic simulation system to make a judgment: Eliminate them.
As the system reached its conclusion, a silver-blue light began to pulse around the enemy flagship. This was the sign that the enemy was about to use a massive weapon of destruction to "crack a nut with a sledgehammer."
Watching the enemy flagship’s main cannon charge while the strike team continued its approach, the stark contrast between the "Great Whale of the Sea" and the "Gnat Squad" made everyone realize the truth. No matter how heaven-defying five modified mechas were, they could not breach the energy shield of a flagship in full combat mode. This was a "dimensional reduction strike" born of absolute power.
Just as the student mechas could not defeat Team 18’s starship, Team 18 could not oppose an enemy countless times stronger than themselves. The gap in raw power had widened to a point where a comeback was impossible.
Team 18 was incredible, but they couldn't win. What a pity!
Predicting the outcome, countless people on the Star Net sighed in regret.
Even the committee members believed the matter was settled. But just as they began to speculate about the true identities of the formidable Team 18, the Old Marshal whispered, "Don't be in a hurry. There's still a chance."
"How is that possible?!" The Vice Principal of the First Military Academy, a committee member, frowned in disbelief. "What chance do they have left?"
In the history of interstellar warfare, winning against the odds happened, but it still had to follow the laws of logic. It was possible, but it didn't mean one could defy the heavens.
When the ratio of power was one to two, or even one to ten, an underdog victory was possible. But when the gap widened to one to a hundred or more, it was virtually impossible—especially when one side consisted of students.
The fact that these students, who had never seen a real battlefield, had fought this far already earned his respect. The Vice Principal was already plotting how to poach these talents later.
Facing the question, the Old Marshal simply smiled. "Because these young people believe they have a chance." He believed in the students who could enter the Interstellar Combat Command major at Benenn Military School and endure until now.
The moment the Old Marshal finished speaking, No. 29—the first person to have surrendered earlier—roared into the comms on the holographic battlefield: "Boss, I'll cover your retreat!"
As soon as No. 29 spoke, the voices of the other three followed in quick succession. Each one volunteered to be Ji Yeran’s shield, fighting over the chance to be the first to die.
In this moment, they were no longer thinking about how to save their own skins, but how to ensure their commander’s safety.
Inside his mecha, Ji Yeran had already discovered the "Easter egg" left by Feng Zhixi. He let out a silent laugh and a soft sigh. His fingers tightened and then relaxed as he issued his final command: "Orders: scatter according to the designated routes!"
His voice was calm and breezy, even carrying a hint of a gentle smile.
The rapport forged through fighting side-by-side caused the four to follow the commander’s order almost instinctively.
In the next heartbeat, the four mechas that had scattered according to the routes were swarmed and protected by their own combat drones, which escorted them into a retreat. The only one left behind was the commander’s mecha, which continued its relentless charge toward the enemy flagship.
The four who had just acknowledged their leader: "???!"
Just as everyone was caught off guard by this turn of events, the commander’s mecha—now directly beneath the enemy flagship’s main cannon like a moth to a flame—suddenly moved.
Six metallic wings silently unfurled from the back of the commander’s mecha. With the massive wings fully extended, it looked like an angel descending. The commander’s mecha had finally revealed its ultimate weapon form.
At that exact moment, a beam of light arrived from afar. It shot across the distant reaches of space, enveloping the commander’s mecha. The silver-white light looked like a deity descending to the mortal realm. This light originated from Team 18’s flagship in the rear!
Seeing this, the Old Marshal finally understood. "So that’s it!"
The only weapon on the entire battlefield capable of piercing the enemy flagship was the one from the logistics flagship of the same class.
However, unlike a dedicated combat flagship, the logistics flagship, while possessing an ultimate strike weapon of the same grade, lacked the speed to keep up with a frontline flagship—especially when the enemy was protected by such a massive fleet.
So, how could they bypass the enemy’s fleet escort and the flagship’s own energy shield to deliver a decisive, one-hit kill?
Team 18’s overall commander had come up with the simplest, most direct method: a single-blade thrust to the heart.
To execute this plan, the commander needed only one thing: a sharp dagger to plunge into the enemy’s vitals. Then, after baiting the enemy into exposing its soft underbelly, the flagship would deliver the fatal blow.
To ensure the final strike hit its mark, Team 18’s commander had used a clever trick. He had pre-installed a very special device on the leader's mecha: an Energy Breakpoint Resume Relay.
Thus, Team 18’s leader used his mecha as a precision targeting nail, driving himself deep into the enemy’s heart.
The guided ultimate attack from their own flagship then easily bypassed the layers of fleet defenses. Guided by the "Six-Winged Angel" mecha, it struck the enemy flagship’s main cannon just as it was about to fire.
At that moment, the energy shield at the muzzle was completely open—leaving it entirely unprotected!
It was as if holy light had descended upon the world!
The collision of two equal forces, resulting in doubled energy, instantly blew the enemy flagship to smithereens. The rolling shockwaves of energy swept through the entire fleet like a scythe through grass. The only survivors were the four substitute mechas that had been escorted away by the small drones.
The four-man squad who had intended to die heroically: "..."
With a *ding*, the holographic simulation main brain announced the final victor: Team 18. Casualties: One.
That’s right. Team 18, which had remained at full strength and even mysteriously gained four substitutes since the start, finally suffered its first and only casualty in the final battle.
The commander of Team 18 had died. It was truly a tragic story.
Silently waking up in his holographic pod, Ji Yeran ground his teeth. *That little brat really knows how to hold a grudge!*
Finally, the great war concluded, and the champion was crowned.
Only then did the holographic main brain announce the name of the winning team to the Star Net. It was a well-deserved, undisputed victory.
Team 18—Benenn Military School.
The Star Net audience: "???!" What did they just see?
The observing faculty and students from various academies: "???!"
The participants and instructors from the twenty-nine schools: "???!"
And the members of the organizing committee: "???!"
"Hehe, a fluke, just a fluke~" the Old Principal of Benenn Military School said with a modest chuckle.
By now, the Vice Principal of the First Military Academy had finally processed what happened. He was shocked by the other man’s shamelessness. "Did you send students from the Interstellar Combat Command major?!" *Is that even legal?!*
Wait, Interstellar Combat Command? Was it *that* Interstellar Combat Command?!
The other committee members, once reminded, were instantly incensed.
"Hehehe, stay low-key... stay low-key~" the Old Principal said humbly.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 六翼金属翅膀 | Six-winged metallic wings | The ultimate form of Ji Yeran's modified mecha. |
| 能量断点续传中继器 | Energy Breakpoint Resume Relay | A device used to guide and relay the flagship's energy strike to a precise target. |
| 星际作战指挥专业 | Interstellar Combat Command Major | An elite, highly specialized major at Benenn Military School, implied to be far above standard student levels. |
| 斩首行动 | Decapitation strike | A military tactic aimed at removing the leadership or head of an opposing organization. |
| 降维打击 | Dimensional reduction strike | A term used to describe an attack from a position of overwhelming technological or power superiority. |
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