CH 15

First battle (1)

The next day, it was clear.

In Alpha Alien Star, as long as it didn’t snow, it was called good weather.

Under the rare clear and sunny day, a row of blue-black mechas marched out of the fortress. Today was the first field combat day for these young officers.

Inside the cockpit of the mecha, Jiang Jianming fastened his seat belt. The thin sunlight outside that passed through the alloy glass, illuminated his raised eyebrows and the silver-black military uniform on his body.

Some people commented on Silver Big Dipper’s military uniform–the black color as the universe, and the silver as the stars. The costume adorned with the universe and the stars tightly enveloped the human body, which symbolizes the fearless journey of the Silver Big Dipper soldiers pointing to the distant stars.

“Xiao Jiang, you…don’t push yourself too hard.”

On the screen, Tang Zhen’s projection kept flashing. He was obviously very nervous, yet he pretended to be heroic and said, “It’s okay. Later,  when we can move freely, let’s go together. Hehe, it’s impossible for Sir to keep an eye on everyone…”

Jiang Jianming put on his gloves, and suddenly asked lightly, “Have you ever fought alien creatures?” 

Tang Zhen’s face turned blue. “No, no.” 

Jiang Jianming smiled and raised his hand to cut off the communication. “Don’t be afraid, you’ll get used to it.”

The team began to speed up. Several rows of M-IP 18 mechas galloped in an orderly manner on the alien star’s frozen soil, looking like a brand-new, unsheathed knife.

A blue-green mecha was always close to the center part of the team. It was the model L-Evil Shark, a B-class mecha with strong versatility. Lieutenant Colonel Huo Lin and his adjutant, Lieutenant Raymond, were seated inside. The field training of recruits could cause accidents if one was not careful, and must be monitored by officers with sufficient experience.

Lieutenant Colonel Huo Lin raised his voice and shouted, “You are all elites from famous imperial schools, therefore I don’t need to talk about basic knowledge. The first one in the first row! Open the communication channel and explain the concept of alien creatures.”

“Yes !” 

The young man who was called up became excited and answered loudly, “Alien creatures, also known as new crystal creatures, are the same as the new crystal human beings, they are all species that successfully differentiated after the outbreak of black wave radiation and achieved perfect fusion of crystal particles! Since the Holy War expelled them from the territory of human life, the new crystal creatures theoretically only exist in the Far Star, therefore now the public was more accustomed to calling them alien creatures.”

Lieutenant Colonel Huo Lin: “Continue.”

“New crystal creatures are exposed to radiation and concentrated crystal particles all year round, and their mutation directions are very strange and extremely dangerous. According to the threat assessment of new crystal creatures to people, we have classified them into six grades, from D to Super S. The same as the classification of new human crystal bone level and mecha level…..”

Speaking up to this point, the young man suddenly became hesitant for a moment, “Because of the extreme toughness of the condensed crystal particles, it is generally accepted at this stage that the only effective means to fight against the new crystal creatures are the crystal bones of the new human beings and some cutting-edge new crystals mecha weapons.”

After he finished speaking, he fell silent. There was no other sound in the channel for a while, except for the occasional buzzing electric current that seemed a little awkward. Everyone knew who the last sentence was aimed at.

In the cockpit of the mecha L- Evil Shark, Adjutant Raymond appeared reluctant and whispered, “Lieutenant Colonel, you should let that disabled human child go back to the fortress.” 

Huo Lin only snorted coldly. “He insists on coming, I also want to see what he is capable of. If someone dies, I will take full responsibility, no need to talk nonsense.”

How can a disabled human without crystal bones fight these alien creatures? At this moment, everyone was wondering about this sole question.

Jiang Jianming looked indifferent and simply clenched the lever of the mecha.

The vast snow field was no longer endless. It was replaced by tall vegetation with a strange appearance. The branches were dark green like needles with sharp leaves. Years of snow and aggregated crystal particles condense on the bark into pieces of sequins, which were somewhat dazzling when reflected under the sunlight.

“Wow, this place is so beautiful…”

“Why do I feel like it’s a little gloomy?”

The mechas in formation drove into this snow-capped barren forest, as if they had entered into an ancient mural by mistake.

Lieutenant Colonel Huo Lin: “All, stop! Regroup into teams based on your original position!” 

“This is our training ground for today. Everyone, look carefully!” 

With the roar of Huo Lin’s thick voice, the Evil Shark mecha drove to the front. Its muzzle raised, then fired a shot towards a huge tree not far away. 

After the artillery fire roared, amidst the exclamations of the young people, two large masses of red things fell from the thick branches and leaves, bounced off the ground, and made a hissing noise like spitting saliva.

That thing was shaped like a snake, with a long torso, and its body was covered with sarcomas and thorns condensed from crystal particles, writhing like undulating red ocean waves. Its pair of golden vertical pupils twisted over and stared at them so deeply that their hearts froze.

“—Your opponents are this group of things.”

The six members of the third team gathered together, and Bei Maner was the first to get goosebumps. “My God…it’s so big, standing a head taller than the mecha.”

Seeing the chatter among the mechas, Lieutenant Raymond properly took on the responsibility of explaining for his grumpy officer. “This is a common species in Ice Forest, the red skinned pit viper, a D-class alien creature. We call this thing “red caterpillar”. It has been decades since Silver Big Dipper used it to train new recruits.”

“I’ll give everyone a try this morning to get used to the feeling of fighting these alien creatures. In the afternoon, we will have a formal special training. Only after killing a red caterpillar alone within ten minutes will one be eligible to participate in the afternoon time trial.”

After listening to Raymond’s explanation, the new humans present looked at each other and their complexion became even worse.

“Within ten minutes, for real?…..”

“Isn’t it teamwork? Why do we have to train solo in the field combat on the first day!?”

“Damn, I won’t be qualified If I can’t pass the qualifications.”

Huo Lin glanced at the mechas behind him, and saw the stiff faces of the young people through the alloy glass.

These little brats who haven’t seen the wind and waves, it’s time to give them a good beating…. 

The lieutenant colonel sneered at the corners of his mouth and ordered without hesitation. “First squad, two people, go.”

There were two “red caterpillars” that had just been beaten down, exactly corresponding to two people. Lieutenant Colonel Huo Lin waved his hand. “One by one.”

Soon, the hell training began.

Most of the battles with alien creatures were hand-to-hand combat relying on crystal bones. One needed to jump out of the cockpit and do it with little extra protection –and if something goes wrong, it would be a real life-or-death situation.

This group of top young elites of the empire had only been on the battlefield for the first time, and only few of them were able to perform at half their usual level. Most were chased down by the little D-level alien creatures.

The cockpit of the mecha Evil Shark was always open. Huo Lin and Raymond stood on the mecha with crystal bones released, ready to scoop up people from the red snake’s mouth at any time.

Even so, the number of the wounded was still increasing.

Lieutenant Colonel Huo Lin had a ferocious face, and his ferocious roaring never stopped for a moment. Almost everyone on the field was scolded.

“What are you hiding behind, rush forward! rush forward!! Your courage is not even as big as a grain of rice , and you still want to be in the far star!?”

“You! Stand firm and don’t shake!”

“What kind of shit did you learn in school? If you can’t do it, get out, go home and get some milk!”

“Coward, where are you going to stab your crystal bone? Watch your enemy and move again!!”

As time went by, Bei Maner, Joe and Ellie in the third team were all called up in turn.

Li Youfang held his shoulder when he came back—he was sent flying by the snake’s tail and hit the tree trunk, but he managed to get rid of a red caterpillar after being struck, before ten minutes passed.

He sat back in the cockpit and filled his mouth with water, squinted at Jiang Jianming, panted, and said, “It seems that our bet is about to end before it starts. Don’t you think so, Jiang…”

Li Youfang was stunned before he could even finish speaking.

On the IP cockpit beside him, with the baffle plate lowered, Jiang Jianming’s side profile was clearly reflected on the alloy glass.

His eyes were dark and deep, and a somber light was reflected on its bottom.

Jiang Jianming seemed to be muttering something softly, his index finger was placed on his lips frequently. Only by listening carefully could he discern that he was actually talking to himself.

“The part where the crystal bone is released, the teeth and the tail…”

“In addition to the common snake attacks, such as biting and coiling, they also use their body to slap and smash.”

“Hm, does its body’s toughness become an attack advantage after being differentiated into real crystal creatures?”

Li Youfang looked strange and thought to himself: This guy, does he really want to fight!?

Now that the rules were dead set on just fighting alone, Tang Zhen and Bei Maner couldn’t help Jiang Jianming. He originally thought that this person would definitely give up in despair…

Don’t wait, it’ll only kill you…. Li Youfang had mixed feelings in his heart. He turned his head and stopped looking at him.

A few minutes later, a blood-stained IP approached.

Tang Zhen had just finished his first battle, and the process was a near miss. In the end, his crystal bone directly chopped off the head of the red caterpillar, winning a rare nod from Instructor Huo Lin.

He gasped heavily, wiped his sweat, leaned out of the cockpit, and said with concern. “Little Jiang, I’m done. This thing is very difficult to deal with, what will you do?”

Jiang Jianming didn’t even look at him, his eyes focused on the battle of the others. “Well, I’m thinking.”

Tang Zhen: “???”

Jiang Jianming was finally willing to look at him, and said lightly. “Why are you looking like the sky has already fallen? It’s the first time I’ve seen this kind of thing, how could I find a way ahead of time?”

Tang Zhen was stunned and he could hardly believe his ears. “No, wait, but you- haven’t you traveled in the distant star with His Royal Highness Ryann before!?”

He became angry and raised his hands in a ridiculous manner. “You’re teasing me. You’ve already come here, and now you say you can’t do anything!? Then why did you tell me not to be afraid just now!?”

Jiang Jianming bowed his head, smiled, and said softly, “Don’t mention him…that’s when he was still alive. As for me, this would be my start of using mecha to fight alien creatures.”

When his voice just fell, his name was called. “Third squad, Jiang Jianming.”

Jiang Jianming controlled the mecha and walked forward while Tang Zhen was still in a mess behind him.

“You, you stop! Then what about the bet you made with Li Youfang!?” 

Jiang Jianming: “It’s only 800 coin points anyway, I won’t feel that bad if I lose.” 

Yet as soon as he finished speaking, he felt a little regretful. Therefore he coughed embarrassingly, and after a while, said shyly, “No…. Actually, it’s still a little distressing .”

Tang Zhen: “…..” Is this even the point!!

Jiang Jianming manipulated the mecha out of the queue. Lieutenant Colonel Huo Lin’s icy eyes swept over him, and suddenly said a word out of the blue, “You can forfeit.”

“I cannot guarantee the safety of a disabled human being in the face of alien creatures. If you give up now, I will consider it a wise choice.”

Jiang Jianming shook his head. “Sir, I won’t forfeit, but can you promise me one thing?”

Lieutenant Raymond next to him was stunned. He didn’t expect that there would still be new recruits who would dare bargain with this evil officer. But Huo Lin had already witnessed this unusual person for a period of time, he only sneered and said, “Speak.”

Jiang Jianming: “Even if you judge that my life is in danger, please don’t shoot until I call for help, or before the ten-minute countdown is over. “

Lieutenant Raymond was taken aback. “You!” 

Huo Lin’s face was cold. “Why?”

Jiang Jianming raised the corners of his lips and replied, “Because, I deduce that your judgment may not be accurate.”

Before he finished speaking, the armor plate in front of him closed. The M-IP 18 had already flown out, slid through a smooth arc, and headed towards the nearest red snake.

Everyone was shocked, and there was an uproar of discussions.

“He…he doesn’t want to fight alien creatures with a  mecha only, right?”

“Impossible, IP cannon can’t penetrate the skin of that thing at all!”

“This disabled human is too crazy, actually not letting the instructor save him? Tsk, he would definitely cry later.”

Aware of the approaching mecha, the red snake arched up, let out a menacing hiss, and swept its tail across.

In front of the console inside the mecha, a blue-green electronic light flickered, and a word “Woof” popped up in front of the screen to indicate that it’s ready. 

Jiang Ming simply nodded. “Seth, began to collect data and calculate its attack speed and reaction speed.”

This “red caterpillar” snake had a long body, and once it’s coiled around you, it would be extremely difficult to escape. Most people also would not choose to fight with its tail, and avoided them if they could.

However, in this way, how to bypass the tail and get close to the key point became another problem. Several spent ten minutes evading, not being able to land even a few hits.

Jiang Jianming did not choose to take a detour, nor did he fire at the snake’s tail. He pushed the lever with one hand and poked the console with the other. In an instant, the fuselage of the IP was suddenly pulled up. A sharp whistling wind sounded, as the tail of the snake scraped the bottom of the mecha!

There was an exclamation all around!

Lieutenant Raymond was stunned, and couldn’t help but praise. “What a steady manipulation!”

“Very courageous, and the fighting awareness is also very precise! He knows that only by quickly pulling in the distance can he achieve an effective attack, also simultaneously, getting him a clear view at the target.”

Jiang Jianming didn’t even blink his eyes, the IP remained in a semi-floating state, turned 360 degrees out of thin air, perfectly adjusted the balance and landed with a bang.

A red shadow flashed before his eyes, and its smell was foul. The huge snake head had already crossed over from the side, with a pair of bright golden icy eyes, exuding a chilling fierce light.

The blue-black mecha leaped on its body and approached the target that was already in front of it. It was still an amazingly smooth gallop, and it hardly decelerated during the whole process.

Li Youfang widened his eyes. “How is this kind of extreme operation possible…” He blankly looked at the console in front of him, “Isn’t manual operation inherently 6% lower than the conduction efficiency of crystal bone operation!?”

In the snow forest, the red snake and the blue-black mecha quickly closed in on each other.

The wind roared and flew by on both sides. Jiang Jianming swept a series of data calculated by the intelligence, and his brows simultaneously loosened and tightened.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the red snake’s body tightening like a spring. His intuition sensed trouble. The next moment, the red snake suddenly opened its bloody mouth and pounced. Its body was like an arrow released from a bow. The distance of more than ten meters was immediately crossed and was already in front of him in an instant, with sharp crystals bursting out from the snake’s jaws!

The cowardly person was already screaming. However, in the blink of an eye, Jiang Jianming hurled the mecha back and fired two cannons at the ice at the same time. With the power of the recoil, the blue-black mecha jumped high, bathed in the sunlight refracted on the ice. At this moment, it seemed to be transformed into a dancing girl on a steel wire, swirling between life and death, elegant, warm and beautiful.

The whole place was silent, and some people even forgot to breathe.

“Fuck!” It took a long time before someone opened his mouth in a trance. “This is a fucking disabled human being!?

The day before yesterday, he was sentenced to stand outside the fortress for ten minutes and then fainted from the cold……was this person really among the people the empire recognized as a soft, squeamish, sickly and fragile disabled human being??