Chapter 129: Boarding Action, A Must-Taste Delight
A few minutes later, the eight-person rescue team arrived. Male God, who was leading the charge, gave him an enthusiastic hug, their helmets clanging together.
A group of people patted Chang Kong's shoulders and back. Although their voices couldn't be transmitted through the vacuum and their facial expressions were obscured by their power armor visors, this didn't hinder their emotional expression or their shared celebration.
Chang Kong was supported and safely returned to the night heron's cargo bay.
The rear hatch closed, and everyone quietly waited for the air pressure to restore. Then, under everyone's gaze, Chang Kong suavely removed his helmet and shook his hair.
“Awesome! So awesome!”
“The biggest fireworks show in history! Hahaha!”
The players' shouts were deafening.
Male God and Ma Lou, one on each side, lifted Chang Kong up. Male God excitedly pointed at the great hero on his shoulder.
“An ace, brothers! This is a true ace! Wow, if I had known it was this cool, I would’ve chosen to be a pilot too!”
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
The sound of power armor gloves clapping, something not heard anywhere in the real world, echoed around them.
“Thank you! Thank you everyone—you’re all too kind—. Actually, Dan Ta is the real MVP!”
Chang Kong continuously waved and cupped his fists in salute, his happiness tinged with a superficial modesty.
Oh my—this is so satisfying, praise me more, even more.
I want more!
Dan Ta watched enviously, “I finally understand why those ace pilots in history had so many fangirls; they really are quite handsome, damn it!”
“Hmm?? (*_one)”
Guo Li Cheng caught a faint scent of something amiss.
“...Are you charmed by him, or are you envious of him?”
Dan Ta: “Hehehe—your question is so cute.”
Guo Li Cheng: “...”
Chang Kong: “Alright, alright, everyone, please put me down. The battle results haven't been confirmed yet; let's not act like we've completely won.”
“Don’t worry, Captain~”
The voice of the aerospace plane pilot came from the front. He was originally a junior who played with Chang Kong and asked Chang Kong for FPV operation tips. Now, he could stand on his own.
“Apollo can already be seen on radar. There are over twenty small targets and one big one, all there! They can’t escape!”
“The industrial ship is also on its way,” Grassland told Chang Kong. “As soon as we finish the final cleanup work,
and confirm the surrounding area is safe, the Engineers can begin recovering materials.”
A few minutes later, the night heron first rescued another pilot from the First Battle Group. Afterward, one by one, it confirmed the Apollo fighters scattered across dozens of kilometers.
As the Executive Officer had predicted, all enemy ships were paralyzed, but their structural integrity was intact.
“What do we do with the pilots inside?”
On the way to the first Apollo fighter, Ma Lou asked Grassland.
“This—I’ll confirm with the Executive Officer again.”
After a brief communication, Grassland looked at Ma Lou.
“Confirmed. Keep four to five captives for cross-interrogation. As for the rest—”
Grassland made a throat-slitting gesture.
“Dispose of them on the spot and recover the bodies.”
“Typical of him, straightforward!”
“Oh, right, Ye Xing said there’s an officer among the pilots. Remember to check for any fighters with special paint schemes or fuselage markings. Try to capture this person; the Executive Officer hopes to extract intelligence about the wormhole station from him.”
“Alright! We won’t miss him!”
The Apollo Captain sat in his cockpit, eyes vacant, head drooping, and suddenly sneezed for no reason.
After the nuclear explosion, he made no attempt to save himself.
The fighter was completely paralyzed, instrument screens dead, and it had lost power beyond repair. It was now falling in a straight line towards Li Star due to inertia, expected to impact the ground in about 30 minutes.
He believed that no force in this star system could come to rescue him or his teammates.
At this moment, he was merely a piece of duckweed, a wandering soul, in the dark void.
He could only wait for death.
However, suddenly, the Captain seemed to see a glimmer of hope.
He saw a large aircraft pass overhead. He craned his neck and saw several people in Apollo standard power armor entering space from the rear hatch, skillfully flying towards a similarly paralyzed friendly aircraft about 200 meters away.
Haha—it’s our own people?!
A surge of wild joy filled the Captain’s heart.
This was nothing short of a miracle!
However, after forcibly cutting open the cockpit with some kind of high-temperature cutter, those people pulled out the pilot, who was still confused, then raised their guns and shattered his head with a single boltgun shot, without hesitation or mercy.
One of the leaders gestured, and another person picked up the body and flew back.
No! Not friendly forces, but enemies!
Instead of hope, immense fear instantly engulfed the Captain’s mind.
Why are they recovering headless bodies? Are they going to take them back to eat?!
In the post-apocalyptic space, indeed, some terrifying rumors circulated.
It was said that certain nomadic clans lived for generations on spaceships, isolated from the world, with no qualms about eating human flesh, and even wore clothes made of human skin! They even used skulls as bowls!
The more afraid one is, the easier it is to scare oneself.
In the blink of an eye, that group of people had flown over here!
“Yo!” Male God pointed below the cockpit canopy. “This is the Captain's ship! It says so here, Dan Ta, we hit the jackpot!”
Dan Ta: “Nice, let’s crack open that turtle shell!”
At this point, the Captain was curled up, motionless, like an animal in a state of extreme shock, so terrified that he couldn't even flee or call for help.
Half an hour later, the boarding action, which was both decisive and highly anticipated, was finally about to begin.
Target: Apollo transport ship.
For this operation, the aerospace plane specifically carried a stasis pod to ensure smooth live streaming for the players.
At least half of the 30 people in the First Battle Group were streamers of various sizes, along with several professional players who were incredibly skilled. The live stream was as lively as a New Year's celebration.
“Kill three or more, and you’re Captain!”
“I want to request a program, I want to see melee kills! A boarding action without melee is like a body without a soul!”
“Hmm, seconded—I’ve noticed this game is incredibly awesome lately; any bloody scene can be broadcast, and the live stream never gets cut.”
””
“Reviewer’s Daddy”
“Go, Guo Li Cheng~~~ We’re your fan club~~”
“Doesn’t anyone feel sorry for the other side? The dishes are already ordered—”
In stark contrast to the players' cheerfulness and eagerness, the anxiety and dread within the power-outage-darkened transport ship were so thick they almost solidified.
The sturdy and formidable Apollo power armor, at this moment, offered no sense of security to its wearers; instead, it felt more like a heavy burden.
Thump! Thump-thump!
Dull, abnormal sounds came from outside the hull. Upon hearing these sounds, the dozens of people inside huddled together, guns pointing wildly in every direction.
Due to the proximity of the nuclear explosion, the EMP energy was extremely high, burning out all power armor sensors, communication systems, and ballistic fire control computers.
The wearers became half-blind, half-deaf, and half-mute, their combat effectiveness greatly reduced.
“They’re going to breach and attack!” someone shouted. “Quickly vent the air beforehand!”
“But the airlock isn’t responding!””
Boom!
ONC explosives detonated, blasting a large hole in the transport ship's hull. Air rapidly escaped, and the people inside quickly grabbed onto any available pipes, handles, etc., to prevent themselves from being thrown into space.
The entire transport ship also began to slowly rotate under the reaction force of the airflow.
“Everyone, open fire!”
After all the air had been vented, dozens of Apollo guns simultaneously spat flames, but lacking the aid of ballistic computers, their aim was poor, with less than a fifth of the shots actually exiting through the breach.
Moreover, the First Battle Group had no intention of breaching from there at all.
Just letting out some air for you first!
A few seconds later, more explosives detonated, blasting multiple holes in the transport ship's main body.
Under the cover of explosive debris, Cang Yuan began boarding. The 30 people divided into multiple small teams, rapidly swarming into the transport ship's main cargo bay from different directions, engaging in an intense firefight with the Apollo landing party.
Guo Li Cheng this time did not wait to strike last but instead took the lead, using the thrust rockets on her back to continuously push off and change direction on the cargo bay walls, executing complex three-dimensional maneuvers.
Secret Technique: Left-Right Dodge!