Blizzard Zero charged forward like a predator closing for the kill.
Every eye in the duel zone was fixed on the massive black barrel protruding from its bow.
No one needed to ask what would happen next.
"Evade at full speed!" Wang Cheng shouted hoarsely. "All close-defense weapons—intercept immediately!"
On the Bald Eagle's bridge, alarms screamed.
Zhang Haoran's face had gone bloodless.
"That cannon… that speed… we're not in danger, right?" he stammered. "Vice Captain Wang, we're still going to win… right?"
Wang Cheng didn't answer.
The Bald Eagle's laser main gun was still cooling. Their secondary weapons hadn't even entered optimal range.
Against a ship charging at one hundred knots with a 1200mm battleship cannon, the Bald Eagle was no longer a hunter.
It was prey.
Blizzard Zero — Bridge
"In one minute, we enter the enemy's secondary weapon range," Charlotte reported. "We fire first.
"I'll handle targeting. You give the order."
Zhao Chen nodded once.
"After forty seconds," Charlotte added calmly, "cut speed to zero."
The crew stiffened—but obeyed.
"Navigation acknowledged."
Why stop?
Every cadet knew the answer.
A stationary platform had a far higher hit rate than one in motion.
"Decelerating!"
"Reverse thrust engaged!"
80… 60… 40… 20…
"Speed zero!"
Blizzard Zero halted in less than five seconds.
The audience went silent.
Acceleration like that was terrifying.
Deceleration like that was monstrous.
Charlotte's fingers danced across the console.
"Auto-lock complete," she said. "Devil Crocodile Cannon fully aligned."
Zhao Chen inhaled.
"Fire."
The cannon roared.
The sound tore through space like a thunderclap.
A 1200mm titanium-alloy high-explosive shell screamed from the barrel.
The recoil alone shoved Blizzard Zero backward dozens of meters, its bow dipping under the force.
Chemical smoke poured from the muzzle.
The Devil Crocodile Cannon—silent for over eighty years—had awakened.
Bald Eagle — Bridge
"WARNING! HIGH-ENERGY PROJECTILE LOCKED!"
"EVASION FAILURE PROBABILITY: EXTREME!"
"All close-defense cannons—fire!" Wang Cheng roared.
Twenty quad-mounted cannons unleashed a desperate barrage.
It was meaningless.
A mantis standing before a chariot.
BOOM.
The shell struck.
The Bald Eagle lurched violently.
Zhang Haoran was flung from his seat, slamming headfirst into a bulkhead. Blood splattered across the deck.
"Report!"
"Port-side armor pierced!"
"Ammunition bay detonated—secondary explosion!"
"Thirty-seven compartments breached!"
"Casualties confirmed—eight dead, multiple injured!"
"Energy output dropping ten percent per minute!"
"Weapon systems failing!"
Each report was worse than the last.
The bridge tilted.
Smoke filled the air.
The proud T2 Bald Eagle was crippled.
Wang Cheng's hands trembled.
One shot.
A single shot had decided the duel.
"Young Master Zhang," he said heavily, "we've lost. We must surrender—now."
Zhang Haoran staggered upright, eyes wild.
"Lost?" he shrieked, slapping Wang Cheng across the face. "My father paid you to protect me!
"If I lose, I'll be expelled! You useless trash!"
Wang Cheng said nothing.
Another impact rocked the hull.
Blizzard Zero was closing.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the reinforced bridge viewport.
Reports flooded in.
"Frontal armor integrity: 40%!"
"Enemy secondary weapons inflicting sustained damage!"
Zhang Haoran collapsed to his knees.
He imagined the glass shattering.
The void rushing in.
His courage broke.
"I surrender!" he screamed. "I surrender! Stop the attack!"
The words echoed across the battlefield.
The duel was over.