Time crawled by. The soldiers, disguised as researchers, had been gesturing and pointing in the power module for quite some time.
"When will this ever end?" a soldier grumbled softly.
Despite their preparation, the soldiers were not professional actors. They had repeated the rehearsed actions several times. While no aliens appeared, the soldiers collectively suffered from extreme awkwardness.
Xie Yu said nothing, but Ling Xiao grew impatient. "Hey Fatty Ou, is this plan of yours actually going to work?"
Ou Zhanpeng felt a surge of restlessness. "If I knew for sure, would I be going through all this trouble? Wouldn't it be better to just tell the aliens to stand up and surrender, then line them up for execution?"
"Ah, I knew it!" Ling Xiao sighed, his tone filled with disappointment. "It must be because there aren't enough people. The aliens probably think something's off."
"What, you want to call in a batch of experts from outside?" Ou Zhanpeng retorted impatiently. "Are you out of your mind?"
Ling Xiao immediately countered, "Experts are definitely out of the question. I don't have that kind of authority. But calling in a few ground crew members, that shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"That's a good idea!" Xie Yu chimed in.
Although not frontline combat personnel, the ground crew were all enlisted soldiers, belonging to specialized positions with strong technical expertise but weaker combat capabilities.
Direct confrontation with the aliens was indeed asking too much, but for disguise and supporting the main engagement, they were perfectly capable.
Without further delay, Xie Yu immediately contacted the command center and requested control over the aircrew personnel. Shortly after, a dozen soldiers disguised as aircrew members entered the battleship in small groups.
For this, Xie Yu specially assigned a team to meticulously provide protection throughout the operation. They were willing to slow down the movement process to avoid the aliens discovering any flaws.
Then came another period of prolonged waiting. The enemy remained inactive, but the play had to go on. Xie Yu contacted the researchers outside the ship and had them connect with the soldiers inside, providing remote guidance for their research.
Even if it was slower and more unfamiliar, it was better than staring blankly.
As noon approached, Xie Yu finally received an alert from the surveillance network: a squad of "Giant Species" was moving downwards from Deck South Nine, possibly targeting the bioreactor bay!
Xie Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief. The aliens had finally shown themselves!
"All units, be advised, the enemy has appeared. Maintain current status and prepare for combat."
The enemy's speed was faster than anticipated, and Xie Yu's expression grew increasingly grave.
Along the way, not a single mine was triggered by the enemy. Either they had already memorized the minefield layout, or they possessed some method to detect mines.
If it weren't for the omnipresent surveillance network timely detecting the enemy's position, wouldn't the aliens have found their way right to them?
A short while later, the enemy arrived outside the bioreactor bay, numbering around twenty individuals.
The sentinels could not see the aliens, but Xie Yu felt the time was ripe and issued the combat order.
The sentinels immediately sounded the alarm and opened fire on the enemy. The soldiers, who were securing a culture tank with ropes, heard the alarm, stopped their work, and quickly joined the fray.
The culture tank had not been properly secured. The assault craft, having also received the order, suddenly ascended. The culture tank flipped and detached, colliding and bouncing before falling down the shaft.
Xie Yu issued another new order: "Hold your ground, do not counter-attack for now!"
Receiving the order, the soldiers engaged in a shootout with the enemy. Following the pre-arranged plan, they systematically reduced their own firepower, projecting an image of being outmatched.
For a sneak attack, the enemy's arrival was sudden, and their response was hasty. Being on the defensive was normal. If they were to repel the enemy from the very first encounter... well, it wasn't impossible, but then this play couldn't continue. They had to give the enemy some hope to keep them engaged here.
Meanwhile, the researchers, played by the ground crew, retreated outside the ship at the first opportunity.
None of this was an impromptu idea; it was the result of careful consideration and meticulous planning, with every aspect accounted for before the script for this grand play was finalized.
Xie Yu was the director, and Ou Zhanpeng was the screenwriter.
As expected, before the disguised researchers could even exit the cabin, they were attacked by another wave of Giant Species and forced to retreat into the cabin to fiercely resist.
Situations from both directions were continuously reported to Xie Yu. Feeling that the timing was right, he immediately contacted Ou Zhanpeng. "It's time, let's begin!"
"Received!" Upon receiving the order, Ou Zhanpeng immediately divided the assault team in the power module into two groups. About a third remained to defend the power module, while the remaining two-thirds immediately departed to support the retreating researchers.
The defensive strength of the power module was unprecedentedly weak. However, after a considerable time, there was still no movement outside the cabin, causing Ou Zhanpeng to doubt. Could it be that the script was too complex, and the aliens, preoccupied with the other two directions, had no intention of attacking the power module?
At this point, reinforcements arrived and joined the assault on the Giant Species that were hindering the researchers. The advantage on the field was immediately gained, and it wouldn't take long to completely eliminate this enemy force.
Based on the experience of the past few days, the enemy, in order to preserve their strength, would quickly withdraw from the battle.
However, this time was different. The Giant Species exhibited unusual tenacity. Although the assault team held the upper hand, they couldn't eliminate the enemy in a short period.
The bioreactor bay was in the same situation.
In other words, the assault teams in both directions were bogged down by the enemy and could not disengage in the short term!
Finally, there was movement outside the power module. A group of Giant Species suddenly appeared on the deck above. They descended using ropes, precisely landing on Deck East Four. In an instant, dozens of Giant Species had gathered outside the power module.
Not a large number, but several times more than the assault team members inside the cabin.
"The enemy has appeared," Ou Zhanpeng reported.
Xie Yu let out a soft breath. "Then let's begin!"
At his command, continuous explosions occurred simultaneously in the power module, bioreactor bay, and research area. Large breaches were torn open in the bulkheads of several cabins. The soldiers revealed their pre-prepared heavy-caliber remote-controlled machine guns, and a dense hail of bullets swept across the battlefield like a storm.
These weapons required no human operation. As soon as they received the activation signal, they would automatically detect nearby moving targets, filter out friendly forces through identification, and then unleash relentless firepower. Flashes of shields and falling Giant Species were everywhere.
It wasn't that there weren't more powerful weapons, but Xie Yu had received a very clear order: minimize the use of heavy weaponry while ensuring the enemy's elimination, and strive to preserve the integrity of the disabled ship.
Therefore, although the soldiers carried various more powerful individual weapons, they would only use them when absolutely necessary.
Since the machine guns had already secured victory, there was no need to overuse the weapons.
However, despite heavy losses, the aliens still resisted stubbornly, never retreating a single step until death.
Ou Zhanpeng suddenly frowned. Although their plan was meticulously arranged, and everything had gone so smoothly from start to finish, the aliens were being too cooperative.
At this very moment, a furious roar came over the radio from Ling Xiao: "Requesting support outside the ship, requesting support outside the ship! The aliens are breaking through—"