Over the next few rounds, the T2 Purple Rose-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruiser launched its third, fourth, and fifth waves of attacks.
Finally, after the fifth wave of attacks, the audience, watching the live broadcast, saw a damage of dozens of centimeters long and several centimeters deep on the port side armor of the T2 Black Rhino after zooming in several times.
"Even… even if it's sturdy, what then? The firepower configuration of a mere Interstellar Frigate can't do anything to the T2 Purple Rose. Besides, an Interstellar Frigate's speed might not even be able to catch up to the T2 Purple Rose," Deputy Dean Jia said, trying to save face.
"Yes, yes, yes. You are the vice dean of Tianyao Academy—whatever you say goes," Vice Dean Hong said, intentionally displaying a fawning smile and flattering her. These words were clearly meant to mock the other party.
Deputy Dean Jia's face darkened, but she remained silent, only able to use these excuses to convince herself that there was still hope for this battle.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, the T2 Purple Rose also noticed something was amiss and began attempting to maintain distance from the T2 Black Rhino using its speed, while continuously firing its cannons. Min Zhou refused to believe that under a continuous barrage, this T2 Interstellar Frigate could truly withstand it.
T2 Black Rhino-class Interstellar Heavy Assault Frigate · Bridge
"Overall damage to the frontal hull armor is 6%, with the most severe location at 12%; overall damage to the flank hull armor is 3%," the captain of this starship reported to Wendy Chase.
Wendy glanced at the distance between the two starships on the star map. She had previously understood the performance of the T2 Black Rhino.
"The distance is almost right. Transmit my order. Prepare to activate 'Short-range Assault Mode'! At the same time, all crew members throughout the starship, prepare for impact!" Wendy said seriously.
"Yes!" The captain began relaying the order. Because the T2 Black Rhino was designed with the expectation of enduring a large number of attacks and even collisions, every combat station was specially equipped with protective measures to allow soldiers to maintain their balance and prevent injuries from losing their footing due to impact.
"'Short-range Assault Mode' activating… increasing speed!" the captain said.
The red numbers representing speed instantly began to climb rapidly.
In the Audience Stands
Everyone, staring intently at the two starships, suddenly began to exclaim.
"Oh my god! Look, that Interstellar Frigate seems to have accelerated!"
"This speed is simply too fast—it's increased so much compared to before."
"Wait… this speed… this direction… could it be that this Interstellar Frigate is preparing to ram the T2 Purple Rose!"
This astonishing thought popped into every student's mind. Ramming a starship? An Interstellar Frigate is going to ram an Interstellar Battlecruiser?
Zachary Chase had a faint smile on his lips, thinking this was a perfect opportunity to test the T2 Black Rhino's hull impact resistance in a real battle.
The rapidly accelerating T2 Black Rhino aimed a horn module on its bow at the flank of the distant T2 Purple Rose.
"Quick! Speed up! Evade quickly!" Min Zhou cried out in panic as she saw the rapidly approaching Interstellar Frigate.
"Captain… our speed is already at maximum, and at this distance, we can't evade at all!" The vice captain said helplessly, "Now we should order to prepare for impact."
Before the vice captain could finish speaking, a heavy 'thump' resonated throughout the starship.
Almost instantly, anything unsecured on the entire Bridge flew up, and some crew members who hadn't managed to steady themselves were completely airborne, flying several meters away.
Min Zhou, sitting in the captain's chair, didn't fly out. But at this moment, her pupils dilated as she watched a plump buttock collide with her face from afar. That face, which she had spent hundreds of star coins maintaining, now made intimate contact with that part.
"Woo, woo, woo… woo, woo, woo…"
"Warning! Warning! Warning! The left side of the hull has suffered a severe impact. The left hull armor has been penetrated, and the adjacent thirteen compartments are now locked down!"
"Warning! Warning! Warning! Due to this impact, the left starship engine has been affected, resulting in a 30% loss of speed."
"Warning! Warning!…!"
The warning sounds from the Bridge drowned out Min Zhou's cries for help.
When everyone had recovered and began to get up from the floor, the vice captain then discovered a two-hundred-pound Bridge soldier sitting squarely on the captain's chair.
"Where's the captain, miss!" The vice captain grabbed the fat soldier and demanded.
"I… I… I don't know…" the fat soldier said.
"I… am… here…"
A voice came from the captain's chair.
The vice captain looked behind the fat soldier and saw Min Zhou slumped in the captain's chair, her entire body seemingly squeezed, especially her face, which was distorted.
"Captain, miss… your… your face…" The vice captain swallowed, pointing at Min Zhou's face.
Min Zhou froze, immediately kicked away the fat soldier in front of her, and conjured a mirror. In the mirror, her face was clearly uneven.
"My face—ah, ah, ah, ah, ah!"
"Warning! Warning! Warning! The hull is suffering an impact! The hull is suffering an impact!"
Suddenly, another impact occurred. The vice captain lost his balance, his body flew up, his hand unconsciously grabbed something, and then he fell heavily. When he came to his senses and looked, he saw that Min Zhou's face had been firmly pressed against the captain's chair by him.
"Ah, ah, ah…" Min Zhou screamed hysterically.
And the impacts continued relentlessly. One… then… another… and again… another… And they were from different angles, different directions!
From the outside, it looked like a T2 Interstellar Frigate was continuously ramming a T2 Purple Rose that was scurrying around in panic. But the problem was, it couldn't run fast enough to escape the Interstellar Frigate's entanglement.
"Warning! Warning! Warning! Hull out of control… hull out of… control… is colliding with an asteroid. Please evade immediately! Please evade immediately!"
Colliding with an asteroid?
The vice captain ignored the emotionally distraught Min Zhou and immediately operated to check the current situation. Through the images transmitted to the Bridge, their starship was rapidly heading toward a collision with an asteroid.
As for why this was happening? The culprit, of course, was that Interstellar Frigate. That Interstellar Frigate was currently behind their starship, using its large black horn to push their T2 Purple Rose toward the asteroid.
"Captain! Surrender immediately! Surrender immediately! Otherwise, our starship will be finished!" The vice captain urgently told Min Zhou to surrender.
"My face…" Min Zhou was still looking at her face at this moment. This was her surgically altered face after all.
The vice captain urged Min Zhou to surrender quickly. Min Zhou no longer cared about winning or losing; that Interstellar Frigate was simply too terrifying.
Min Zhou immediately contacted the arbitrator, indicating surrender.
Audience Stands
The arbitrators had just received the surrender from the T2 Purple Rose, and they hadn't yet had time to relay this instruction to the T2 Black Rhino. Through the live broadcast, they saw the T2 Purple Rose heavily impact the surface of the asteroid, kicking up a large cloud of dust. The T2 Purple Rose's hull was severely deformed.
In contrast, the 'culprit' of all this—the T2 Black Rhino—seemed as if nothing had happened, 'pulling out' its large black horn, seemingly satisfied as it looked at the T2 Purple Rose, which it had battered beyond recognition. Then, without looking back, it sailed away from the asteroid.
Everyone stared at that Interstellar Frigate, with a million 'grass-mud horses' galloping through their minds.
Is this… truly an Interstellar Frigate?