At this very moment, under the gaze of everyone present.
The Zero Blizzard was hurtling toward the T2 White Eagle-class Light Interstellar Cruiser at an astonishing speed.
Looking at that gleaming 1200mm Devil Crocodile Cannon, everyone had guessed the Zero Blizzard's intention.
All held their breath, waiting for what was about to happen.
"Damn it! Why does that starship have a 1200mm Devil Crocodile Cannon from a T2 Devil Crocodile-class Medium Interstellar Battleship? Execute full-speed evasive maneuvers! All close defense cannons, prepare to intercept!" Deputy Captain Wang Cheng issued the command with a stern expression.
"Deputy... Deputy Captain Wang... what... what's going on? That... that damned giant cannon, and the speed of that broken-down starship... we... we're not in danger, right?
Victory in this battle still belongs to us, right!" Zhang Haoran's face was now pale. Though he was a spoiled noble, he had after all spent three years studying at the Starship Military Academy.
He knew some basics—the destructive power of a 1200mm caliber giant cannon...
Deputy Captain Wang Cheng did not answer, because anyone could see the current situation clearly.
Their laser main cannon was in the cooling and recharging phase, while the remaining secondary weapons were not yet within firing range.
Meanwhile, the enemy starship's speed had surged to nearly 100 knots stellar speed, and there was that exposed 1200mm caliber cannon.
Their T2 White Eagle had become prey under the hunter's gun.
Their only hope was to pray that the enemy's attack would not hit their starship, and then they could seize the opportunity to counterattack—perhaps there was still a chance.
But... the thought of the enemy ship's terrifying speed of 100 knots stellar speed.
Deputy Captain Wang Cheng's psychological shadow area grew considerably.
Damn it, isn't this a military academy? Isn't the opponent a down-and-out noble? How could they possess a starship with a speed of 100 knots stellar speed!
Zero Froststorm · Bridge
"In one minute, we will enter the maximum firing range of the enemy's secondary weapons. Before that, we will fire first!" Deputy Captain Charlotte looked at Captain Zhao Chen and said, "I'll handle the targeting directly. You give the fire command."
"No problem." Zhao Chen nodded.
"I'll take over the targeting for the Devil Crocodile Cannon." Deputy Captain Charlotte took over the firing preparations. "In forty seconds, reduce the starship's speed to 0!"
"Yes! Reduce speed in forty seconds!" The crew member in charge of navigation responded.
Why reduce speed?
Is a starship's hit rate higher when firing while moving or when stationary?
The answer is self-evident.
Forty seconds passed in the blink of an eye.
The crew member immediately began operating: "Beginning speed reduction. Engine reverse thrust system activated! Current speed 80... 60... 40... 20... 5...
Report! Starship's current speed is 0! Starship is stationary! Over!"
From 100 knots stellar speed to 0 knots stellar speed, the Zero Blizzard took less than five seconds.
This once again shattered the perceptions of the students and instructors in the audience—the engine's acceleration and deceleration capabilities were simply too powerful.
And now, everyone knew what was about to happen next.
Deputy Captain Charlotte now began checking the automatic targeting data of the starship weapon system. The 1200mm Devil Crocodile Cannon was already aimed at that T2 White Eagle-class Light Interstellar Cruiser!
After confirming everything was correct, she reported, "Captain, target locked! Ready to fire at any moment!"
"Fire!" Zhao Chen's roar echoed throughout the bridge.
This feeling was absolutely exhilarating.
Almost simultaneously, this heavy 1200mm Devil Crocodile Cannon roared once again after more than eighty years.
A 1200mm diameter titanium alloy high-explosive shell shot out from the barrel at an extremely high speed!
At the moment of firing, Zhao Chen could even feel the entire bridge shudder.
From an external observation, this single shot directly caused the Zero Blizzard to shift backward dozens of meters, with the bow slightly tilting upward.
At the same time, the chemical smoke still lingering at the muzzle of the heavy 1200mm Devil Crocodile Cannon was visible.
"Warning! Warning! Warning! Attack locked onto our ship detected. Evade! Evade! Evade!"
"Warning! Warning! Warning! Attack locked onto our ship detected. Evade! Evade! Evade!"
"Warning! Warning! Warning! Attack locked onto our ship detected. Evade! Evade! Evade!"
The bridge of the T2 White Eagle-class Light Interstellar Cruiser flashed with red lights as system warnings blared incessantly.
"All starship close defense cannons, fire a barrage for interception! Now! Now! Now!" Deputy Captain Wang Cheng urgently issued the interception order.
The twenty 150mm T2 medium quadruple-mounted close defense cannons equipped on the T2 White Eagle-class Light Interstellar Cruiser opened fire at full capacity, forming a dense interception barrage net.
Unfortunately, these small-caliber close defense cannon barrages were facing a massive cannon with a diameter of 1200mm!
It was utterly futile, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot!
Boom!
A deafening sound erupted in the bridge of the White Eagle-class Light Interstellar Cruiser, causing the entire bridge to tilt to one side.
Zhang Haoran was flung into the air, flying three meters before his head slammed heavily into a corner, blood streaming down his face.
He slumped to the floor, clutching his bleeding head, and said in terror, "What... what happened... am I... dying?
I don't want to die yet... Mom... Mom, save me..."
Deputy Captain Wang Cheng had no time to attend to this pampered young master now. When under fire, he didn't even know the basic common sense of stabilizing his own body.
"Report, the port-side armor of the ship hull has been penetrated, and a left-side ammunition chamber was detonated, causing a sympathetic detonation. This directly affected thirty-seven compartments, which have been sealed off. Eight crew members are dead; the number of injured is unknown."
"Report, the sympathetic detonation just now affected our starship energy system. Energy supply is dropping at a rate of 10% per minute! If the situation is not brought under control, the starship is expected to completely lose energy supply within ten minutes."
"Report, our weapon system is malfunctioning; some weapon modules are unusable."
"Report, our ship's speed is continuously decreasing and remains uncontrollable!"
The entire bridge was now flooded with nothing but bad news.
"How could this be..." Deputy Captain Wang Cheng's expression was one of shock; he hadn't expected a single enemy shell to have such an effect.
Currently, the T2 White Eagle-class Light Interstellar Cruiser was already in a severely damaged state. Continuing the fight would most likely result in the destruction of the ship and the death of everyone aboard.
"Young Master Wang... we... we've lost... let's surrender," Deputy Captain Wang Cheng walked up to Zhang Haoran and said in a low voice.
"Lost... lost... how is that possible... how could this happen! Aren't you supposed to be an excellent Captain? My father paid to bring you here, how could you lose for me!
Do you have any idea, if I lose, I'll have to drop out of North Star!
You useless piece of trash!" As the explosions had stopped, Zhang Haoran snapped out of his panic. Staggering to his feet, he directly slapped Deputy Captain Wang Cheng across the face.
Deputy Captain Wang Cheng lowered his head without saying a word.
Just at that moment, various 'explosion sounds' echoed through the ship hull once more.
"What's happening... what's happening..." Zhang Haoran immediately cowered again, squatting down on the floor.
He looked up at the 'floor-to-ceiling window' in front of the bridge. The T2 White Eagle-class Light Interstellar Cruiser's bridge used special material glass windows with a 100° viewing angle, allowing a direct view of the cosmic scenery outside.
These bridge windows were not ordinary glass; their strength even exceeded that of the starship's hull armor, making them one of the most heavily defended areas of the ship. However, due to their high cost, they were only installed in a few select areas.
And now, web-like cracks had appeared on this bridge floor-to-ceiling window.
"Report! The enemy ship is rapidly closing in on us! Their secondary weapons are inflicting damage on our ship!" a crew member hurriedly reported.
"Report! Front hull armor damage has reached 20%..."
"Report! Front hull armor damage has reached 40%..."
Crackle, crackle
Whether it was psychological or not, Zhang Haoran felt as if he could hear the sound of glass shattering. His mind conjured images of the bridge floor-to-ceiling window completely breaking apart and his own miserable fate.
At that moment, he felt a chill run down his lower body.
In a panic, he tearfully pleaded, "I admit defeat! I surrender!"