"Captain on board. This vessel is a mass-produced Recon-class destroyer. Performance parameters as follows: Main Cannon LV1, Armor LV1, Engine LV1, Sky-Survey Radar LV1, Ship Structure LV1. Overall combat rating: Destroyer LV1. Remaining enhancement points: 1090.
Current combat power ranks below 99.9% of players. Captain, please continue to work hard."
Familiar exterior, familiar interior.
The Recon-class destroyer was the starter battleship in Stellar Conquest, gifted to players for free at the beginning.
Its prototype was modeled after the initial form of the Spark Warship.
Of course, there were differences.
For starters, it lacked battlefield weapons like Mikowski Particles, and the initial battleship didn't include an Energy Shield module.
This was to ensure a smooth and balanced gameplay experience.
After all, a game is just a game.
Wang Dong originally played this game to familiarize himself with battleship controls and combat mechanics.
Because beyond that, he had no better way to learn about cosmic battleships.
It had been a long time since he last touched this game.
Before his rebirth, he was constantly on the run. And once he got his hands on a real Spark Warship, why bother with a virtual one?
Now with a touch of nostalgia, Wang Dong launched the game.
"Enter 1v1 random match mode."
"Queueing... 3, 2, 1. Match found.
May fortune smile upon you, Captain."
Time: Stellar Calendar Year 10103, June 14
Terrain: Asteroid Belt, radius of 1 light-minute (Note: 1 light-minute = approx. 18 million kilometers)
Participants: Mass-produced Recon-class Destroyer LV1 (ID: Han Feng), Mass-produced Recon-class Destroyer LV4 (ID: Noob Abuse)
Victory Condition: One side is destroyed or surrenders
Battle Duration: 1 hour
Battle Start.
As the prompt scrolled across the virtual screen, Wang Dong's battleship materialized in the midst of an asteroid belt.
"An asteroid belt, huh? What a fitting coincidence..."
Wang Dong paused for two seconds before issuing an order: "Activate Sky-Survey Radar in passive mode. Engines to minimal output. Adjust ship orientation to coordinates (X01, Y02, Z01), centered on our current position."
Spatial coordinates were three-dimensional. The initial central point was defined to establish a coordinate system, which allowed for accurate positioning, targeting, and firing.
X represented the horizontal axis, Y the vertical axis, and Z the depth.
In an asteroid belt, the Sky-Survey Radar's scanning capability would be partially hindered. Without energy reactions from a main cannon or full-output engines, a mere LV1 Sky-Survey Radar couldn't distinguish between a battleship and an asteroid.
Therefore, Wang Dong opted for passive radar mode—not actively scanning for the opponent, but waiting to receive any exploratory pulses from the enemy, thus calculating their position without revealing his own.
To guard against preemptive attacks, he also maneuvered his battleship behind a nearby medium-sized asteroid for cover.
Just five minutes later, the Sky-Survey Radar in passive listening mode received a pulse.
"Exploration pulse received. Strength: 0.9. Source coordinates: (X13, Y20, Z11)."
A true rookie—no concept of stealth or maneuvering, charging straight in.
"Engines to second gear. Use the asteroid as a waypoint. Approach enemy ship. Maintain passive radar mode."
"Affirmative, Captain.
Engines set to second gear. Path model complete.
Commencing approach. Estimated time to contact: 8 minutes 23 seconds."
The probing signal from "Noob Abuse" continued nonstop. Based on its positional shift, Wang Dong could infer the opponent's speed.
Even at the second-lowest of five engine power levels, both ships were closing in rapidly.
In just five minutes—
"Enemy coordinates: (X10, Y10, Z05). Distance: 0.3 light-minutes."
Now within main cannon range, the Shipboard AI Core issued an automatic alert.
Wang Dong surveyed the surroundings. There were still many asteroids that could provide cover, but approaching any closer risked his engine's energy emissions being detected by "Noob Abuse"'s radar.
"Cut engine power. Maintain silent mode."
After a brief thought, Wang Dong issued the new command. "Noob Abuse" was still charging in at full speed.
Wang Dong's current position was along the flank of "Noob Abuse"'s trajectory.
The LV1 destroyer's main cannon used kinetic rounds. While the range was respectable, the projectile speed wasn't fast.
For better hit probability, closer was always better—especially when setting up an ambush.
"Enemy coordinates: (X10, Y03, Z00). Distance: 0.12 light-minutes."
Two minutes later, the opportunity arrived.
"Noob Abuse" was now flying at a near 90-degree angle to Wang Dong's battleship on a direct intersecting plane, and was within close reaction distance.
"Main cannon full charge. Auto-fire upon target lock!"
"Charging in 10... 9... 8... 7... Warning: Charging signature detected by enemy."
At such close range, the cannon's energy buildup was bound to be detected—but that was fine. They were already too close!
"Continue charging!"
Wang Dong barked.
"3... 2... 1. Main cannon, fire!"
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