The aftershocks of the first strike had barely subsided when the gray-white polyhedral core blazed with blinding light once more, a second energy ray brewing! Like a cold, ruthless turret, it hovered at a safe distance, methodically destroying its immobile prey.
Smoke and sparks billowed from the hit area on the port side of the "Nightingale," the damaged armor twisting inwards like a gruesome wound. The shrill whistling sound of leaking internal pressure could be faintly heard even through the vacuum and the hull. Repair robots were frantically rushing to the damaged area for emergency repairs, but against this level of destruction, it was undoubtedly a drop in the ocean.
Kane knelt outside the airlock on the starboard side, clearly feeling every vibration from the hull. He stared intently at the target thirty kilometers away; the predictive data transmitted to his tactical eyepiece by Leah was fluctuating wildly. The area where the energy decay point appeared was marked as a constantly moving, blurry red circle, with a countdown timer flashing beside it.
Next decay point prediction: Region Gamma-2, countdown 12 seconds…11 seconds…
Region Gamma-2 is located in the upper right area of the polyhedral energy field. The point of convergence for the enemy's attack is clearly at the front.
"Leah! Where is it targeting next?" Kane asked urgently.
"Analyzing energy convergence points…the target is…the bridge!" Leah's voice carried a hint of panic. The bridge is the ship's central hub; if it were hit, the consequences would be unimaginable!
It can't be allowed to hit the bridge!
Kane's mind raced. The prototype's effective range was only a few meters; he couldn't intercept the energy beams. The only way was to aim at the potential decay point the instant the enemy launched its attack, when the energy field might fluctuate due to the output, and fire a disruptive shot! Even if it couldn't destroy it, it had to disrupt its attack rhythm!
But this required astonishing prediction and luck! He had to aim at the predicted area before the decay point appeared, and simultaneously fine-tune and fire the instant it appeared! The entire process had to be completed within 0.3 seconds! Countdown 8 seconds…7 seconds…
The energy at the front of the polyhedron had condensed into a dazzling sphere of light, and a destructive ray was about to erupt!
Kane abruptly adjusted the prototype's aiming direction, aligning it with the predicted area, Gamma-2. His breath almost stopped; all his attention was focused on the constantly fluctuating countdown and the energy field in the scope.
Countdown 5 seconds…4 seconds…
From the bridge came Leah's voice, forced to remain calm: "Shields have failed, armor cannot withstand…Commander…"
Countdown 3 seconds…2 seconds…
Now! Based on the flow of the energy field, Kane slightly shifted the aiming point forward! He gambled it would tilt forward due to the attack!
Countdown 1 second…0!
In the predicted decay area, the energy field's light indeed dimmed slightly, almost imperceptibly! Now!
Kane's index finger, with speed exceeding mechanical reflexes, slammed down the launch button!
Buzz—! !!
The prototype emitted an unprecedented, almost tearing roar! A resonant wave, concentrating 70% of the spaceship's reserve energy, transformed into an invisible, distorted beam of energy, instantly traversing a distance of thirty kilometers and precisely striking the newly appeared, faint energy decay point!
There was no explosion, no flash.
But the effect was immediate!