"Don't panic," Yang Ning's voice said in her ear, "I've already activated the large-scale interference device, their helicopters won't be able to react for a short time. Pay attention to your range, if you spot an enemy helicopter, you must take it down within ten meters; otherwise, it will enter the ground mech's attack blind spot."

Fu Luo's experience with ground mechs was no more than a semester, and even though she had been a studious nerd for many years, being rusty was unavoidable... not to mention regular military academies never had the chance to touch something as sinister as the CX105.

She could only quickly familiarize herself with the controls while dodging dangerously. The CX105 was known as the "ultimate killer" on the ground, with extremely high agility and an unimaginably rich array of banned weapons. However, unfortunately, the designers did not consider pilot comfort.

Fu Luo cranked the electromagnetic arc to the extreme, doing a 360-degree spin in the air to dodge a heavy cannon shot from the enemy.

Fortunately, space force reserve cadets all underwent rigorous zero-gravity training. If it were an ordinary person, their gall bladder would be vomited out by now.

...This was probably the reason the guards could only provide cover and medium-range firepower?

"Rise sixty centimeters, knock out the firepower point at your 11 o'clock." Yang Ning's voice paused, afraid she wouldn't be able to react in time with her unfamiliar operation. So in the end he quickly added, "Open the electromagnetic arc sixty degrees, C-system coordinates."

The ground mech's attack system was modeled after small space battleships, so compared to other operations, this was the part of the mech Fu Luo was most familiar with.

The C-system coordinate targeting scope was always suspended over her left eye. For some reason, at this moment, amidst the hail of bullets, Fu Luo's restless heart completely settled down.

For a moment, the imminent space war disappeared from her mind. She no longer worried about sitting in the notorious illegal weapon. There was only the target in front of her eyes.

Yang Ning's initial judgment of her was not wrong - in a sense, Fu Luo was someone who focused too much on objectives, as long as someone gave her that clear objective.

Colonel Yang's instructive commands mixed with the sound of gunfire were accurately conveyed.

"No, I can't do it." Fu Luo thought with unusual calmness, "The C-system coordinates can lock onto the target the fastest, but aerial spinning will cause unpredictable deviations in aiming, the effect entirely relies on feel. This is Yang Ning's method, I don't have that experience and feel."

The words of the unpopular mech practical class instructor from back then suddenly flashed in her mind: "Ground mechs have great lethality and light mass, but stability is always the first priority. The battlefield does not allow you to be clever, don't pursue those fancy techniques, you don't have that talent!"

Fu Luo's finger swiftly switched the aiming coordinates to "A" mode - basic mode, more parameters, slower aiming, beginner position.

Ground mech No. 4 suddenly crouched low, the attack system preliminarily locked on.

"Remember, every unstable attack is an ineffective attack. In real war, firing high-energy weapons will cause a lot of consumption. At the same time, the recoil force the mech itself bears will also act back on the pilot. Frantic, ineffective attacks, no matter how fast, only serve to exhaust you. The most critical thing is dynamic aiming, your eyes, your hands and your heart must be extremely steady, you must make effective predictions of the enemy's speed, defense and retreat route. 'Sharpening your blade will not delay your wood chopping.' This saying applies even in the most critical moments."

Fu Luo's eyes stared unblinkingly at the numbers on the targeting scope.

She did not act according to instructions. Yang Ning was a little surprised.

However, he opened his mouth, about to say something, but forcibly stopped himself. Licking his dry lips, he stared at the No. 4 mech that was almost flattened on the ground, and did not make a sound.

"Boom" "Boom" "Boom" three consecutive sounds.

The first attack took out the enemy's left wing. They immediately retreated, heavy weapons on top. When they didn't open fire, the second attack quickly filled the gap, hitting the target squarely without deviation. The heavy weapon emplacement exploded. The third attack pursued the tail, the retreat path was actually guessed by her with almost 80-90% accuracy!

Yang Ning suddenly turned the communicator volume to the maximum: "No. 4 mech pay attention to evasion!"

Before he finished speaking, the No. 4 mech suddenly pounced forward with a start-up motion. The huge starting acceleration exceeded the human body's tolerance threshold by three times. Buffer fluid was instantly released in the cockpit. Fu Luo felt a tightness in her chest. The particle cannon flew past her. The pouncing No. 4 mech happened to hit an enemy helicopter that was attempting an emergency take-off. The huge steel wheel of the start-up protection instantly shredded the propeller.

Her operation was indeed not fancy at all - of course, Yang Ning estimated that with her military academy level, she couldn't be fancy even if she wanted to - but she was neither overconfident nor flustered. In such a chaotic situation, she followed the textbook step by step, looking a bit clumsy but reliable.

Yang Ning glanced at the signal interception countdown: "One minute left."

The enemy's firepower had been pulled to the maximum, and the armored tank formation rolled towards them without hesitation.

"No. 4 mech, I need you to withdraw within the last ten seconds of the countdown."

"Wha..."

Fu Luo had just recovered from a dizzying aerial evasion when she suddenly heard the next order: "Close-range detonation countdown on all lines, ten, nine..."

Ah ah ah, this move again!

Not distinguishing between friend and foe is too crude!

Fu Luo suddenly pulled the arc to the maximum boundary and began to retreat while dragging a butt-load of firepower.

With a "boom", the particle cannon hit the tail of the mech. The No. 4 mech fell directly from a height of about two meters. Fu Luo felt like a die in a dice cup, shaken violently. She was almost strangled to death by the seat belt. Her breath was stuck in her throat, turning into a violent cough. An urgent alarm lit up in the mech's cockpit.

Detonation countdown "four, three..."

Fu Luo gritted her teeth and punched the emergency manual valve, pulling the manual decompressor to the bottom. With a "boom", the entire No. 4 mech was split in two, forcibly disassembled by her. A pungent burnt smell came from the body of the mech.

Detonation countdown "two..."

Fu Luo initiated the basic start-up of the mech again.

System: "Alert..."

Fu Luo: "Alert my ass, force start it for me!"

An even stronger burnt smell wafted over, and the flashing alarm lights blinked even faster. Only the front half of the mech remained, sliding forward desolately.

"One..."

Controlling the dying No. 4 mech, Fu Luo stiffly turned sideways and maneuvered into the space between the No. 2 and No. 3 mechs in a clumsy, skidding turn.

Just as she brushed past them, a huge boom sounded from the side. The close-range detonation systems of the seven mechs activated simultaneously, more powerful than ever before. The massive explosion spheres linked into a fan-shaped wave, surging out like a tsunami of energy.

The entire earth trembled, and even the air pulsated under such high energy. The seven mechs were collectively blown back by the recoil, and as far as the eye could see, it had nearly become a sea of fire.

CX105... No wonder it was the pride of the base organization. The close-range detonation system design was truly ruthless.

Fu Luo closed her eyes that had nearly been scorched and heavily leaned back against the pilot seat.

"On the first day of enlistment, I nearly went to meet Einstein," she thought. "What great fortune."

Just then, the No. 4 mech's system flatly said, "Alert, severe damage to the mech body. Alert, severe damage to the mech body. The risk of mech scrappage is as high as 98%. Please evacuate the cockpit. Please evacuate the cockpit..."

Fu Luo was stunned. Before she could figure out what that "please" meant, the hatch above her head opened. A pungent smell of ozone and high-priced nitrified gas hit her face. Then, she felt a release, the seat belt opened, and her entire field of vision rapidly rose...

By the time Fu Luo came back to her senses, she was already lying on the ground—the No. 4 mech had ejected her.

How very polite...

Before she could finish complaining in her heart, the indicator lights on the No. 4 mech flashed weakly a couple of times and then went out lifelessly.

Wait, it was scrapped?!

Fu Luo's eyes suddenly widened.

This thing was priceless on the black market, each one worth a fortune, and she... she had just wrecked it!

An indescribable heartache welled up from within Fu Luo.

Just then, an abrupt prompt suddenly came through her headset.

"Interception complete. Shielding command complete."

Fu Luo was stunned. She whipped her head around and saw that the signal station's gate was already close at hand. The No. 5 mech had already charged in first, and the entire perimeter of the signal station seemed to be shrouded in an invisible layer.

At this moment, the back of her neck tightened, and her entire body was suspended in the air.

"Hey!" Fu Luo exclaimed.

The low-flying No. 1 mech extended a mechanical grappling hand and picked her up. Fu Luo quickly raised her arms to shield her eyes and face, but even so, she was still blown into a mess by the high-speed wind.

In the blink of an eye, the mech team, now reduced to nine, entered the Jingxi No. 23 Signal Station.

The heavy doors closed behind them, and the mechanical hand gripping the back of her neck suddenly loosened. Fortunately, Fu Luo was prepared. She somersaulted forward and landed on one knee, maintaining her military bearing and dignity.

Just like that... they had taken it down?

Fu Luo suddenly felt a bit unreal.

As for what followed, she couldn't be of much help. Yang Ning methodically directed his subordinates to filter out noise, shut down civilian signals, and quickly connect to the signals of the major military regions and the Space Headquarters.

Fu Luo surveyed the signal station, which had been legendary in the war years but later faded into obscurity among the masses. She moved her joints that had been tormented to the point of pain in the mech and quietly looked around.

Places like signal stations had long been unmanned, unless for maintenance or system upgrades. The blinking lights on the screens represented the strength and smoothness of the signals.

Yang Ning had regained his calm and unhurried "office director style" and was submitting an application to the headquarters. Fu Luo glanced at the military signal area, suddenly wanting to make a phone call to confirm the safety of her family and friends. It was a trick she'd learned during intensive training: military signals could be secretly converted for civilian use, a technique privately researched by the tech geeks in battleship maintenance departments.

It was passed down from generation to generation in the academy, an open secret.

Fu Luo instinctively took out her cell phone from the back of her waist, looked at it, and put it back.

"The signal is too precious," she thought. "I'd better hold back."

Suddenly, static sounded in her ears. Fu Luo looked up and found that the signal to the central command had been fully connected.

Although the disconnection from the central command hadn't lasted long, the situation there had already undergone some indescribable reversal. The pro-war and pro-peace factions, who had originally appeared to be at daggers drawn, seemed to have completely fallen out. Fu Luo didn't understand much about politics, but judging from General Yang's appearance as he presided over the situation, it seemed that the pro-war faction had gained the upper hand.

The leaders of the pro-peace faction had all been disarmed and put under control. If not for considering the image of the command center, Fu Luo had no doubt that they would have guns pointed at their heads.

Yang Ning briefly reported on the situation at Signal Station No. 23. General Yang nodded in an official manner, as if the thrilling journey was nothing remarkable, as if it wasn't his own son who had risked his life at breakneck speed.

"I have already sent word to the Beijing Military Region to quickly provide you with support," General Yang said. "They can arrive within twenty minutes at the fastest. The global communication channels are temporarily unable to connect and are being repaired. The Headquarters will issue a 'Letter to Compatriots'. You will transmit it to the major military regions and have the propaganda department disseminate it to the public."

Yang Ning slightly raised his eyebrows—the current situation was completely different from what he had imagined. What exactly had happened at the front line?

"Due to the sabotage of some ill-intentioned pro-peace faction members who tried to surrender within our military, spreading alarmist rumors, the Earth Allied Forces... and even the lives and property of innocent civilians on the ground have suffered heavy losses. The situation was on the verge of being irretrievable. Fortunately, we have loyal and courageous old generals like General Zhao Youxuan, who decisively led three elite special forces to raid the enemy command ship, shattering the enemy's invincible facade and the rumor of our military's inevitable defeat..."

Even though the people of this era were accustomed to complex and highly time-sensitive information flows, they were still shocked by the thrilling details contained in General Yang's short speech. Whether it was the guards busy repairing the lines or Fu Luo wandering around, they all stood still, waiting for his next words.

General Yang's expression was solemn: "Tell our Earth compatriots that the enemy holds no invincible blade, nor are they unbeatable gods. But so long as our unyielding military spirit endures, we shall fight these traitors who forsake their roots to the last breath. We will calm the hearts of the living and comfort the spirits of the deceased.

"We are willing to turn our bodies to ashes, scattered across the myriad starry rivers."