It was not easy to disembark from the broken ship on foot, but flying out in a assault boat was much simpler.
With the combined efforts of Ou Zhanpeng and Ling Xiao, the evacuation efficiency increased dramatically. After only a few trips, most of the research personnel stranded on the ship had been evacuated.
If support was needed anywhere, assault boats could also be called. Upon arrival, they would unleash a barrage of firepower, abundant and effective.
In conjunction, the assault team members scattered across the decks slowly gathered, and the chaotic situation finally began to clear.
Ling Xiao sent a group of people out of the ship and then landed the assault boat back inside, "This is Assault 008, ready to provide evacuation services at any time..."
With a bang, the hull suddenly vibrated violently. The propulsion unit at the stern exploded without warning, and the out-of-control assault boat spun and plummeted towards the bottom deck.
"Ling Xiao!" Ou Zhanpeng cried out in alarm, immediately spotting several suspicious giant creatures on Deck B4.
He immediately dived down and sent them all back to where they came from with a burst of machine gun fire.
Ou Zhanpeng had long suspected that the aliens would have weapons capable of shooting down assault boats, but he didn't know why they hadn't used them until now. This incident merely proved his suspicion.
If there were any other options, he would not have risked using the assault boat. However, evacuating on foot was not only slower but also more dangerous. Between two evils, he knew which one to choose.
Ling Xiao desperately tried to control the assault boat. Although he was at his wit's end, he still stubbornly insisted, "I'm fine, I'm fine, I can still control it, I can control it—"
Boom!
With a muffled thud, the assault boat crashed heavily into the bottom deck, tumbling several times before finally breaking through three bulkheads and coming to a halt.
"Ling Xiao, are you alright? Ling Xiao, are you alright?" Ou Zhanpeng roared anxiously.
Ling Xiao's voice came through the radio, "Still alive, no limbs missing, and no alien creatures found."
"I'll be right down to get you!" Although he said this, with Ling Xiao's precedent, Ou Zhanpeng dared not be careless. He maneuvered the assault boat to descend in a spiral, and as soon as he spotted any alien creatures, he unleashed a barrage of firepower without hesitation.
Finally arriving at the bottom deck, Ling Xiao had already climbed out of the crashed assault boat and boarded it at maximum speed. Ling Xiao, having survived the ordeal, let out a sigh of relief.
At this very moment, the fiercely attacking alien creatures suddenly disappeared without warning. The scene had been chaotic just moments before, and in the blink of an eye, it became quiet, with no trace of the enemy to be found.
Xie Yu inwardly cried out, "Everyone, rally to me, rally to me as much as possible!"
There was bound to be trouble when things were out of the ordinary. The sudden appearance and disappearance of the aliens were definitely not a good omen; it felt like the calm before the storm.
Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by another voice, "A large number of alien creatures discovered on Deck E4!"
Xie Yu's heart skipped a beat, "Where are they heading?"
"Towards the rear right of the battleship's coordinates... they've entered the power compartment, they've entered the power compartment, and they've captured our people!"
Xie Yu's vision went dark, "Who? Assault team members or experts?"
"Experts, Professor Wu, who works on power, and his two assistants!"
"What's going on!" Xie Yu was furious, losing his composure instantly.
He knew that the possibility of evacuating everyone safely was slim. He had done his best, but the outcome he least wanted to see had still occurred.
He tried to calm his thoughts, "What about other directions? What's the situation in other directions?"
"Everyone should have evacuated!"
"I don't want 'should have.' I want an accurate answer! Contact the outside of the ship immediately and confirm the status of the personnel, quickly!"
The outside of the ship quickly provided an accurate answer: except for Professor Wu and his group of three, everyone else had been successfully evacuated.
Thinking about it, it wasn't surprising. There were only a few dozen researchers at this time, and more than half of them were in the peripheral compartments. They had left the broken ship immediately after receiving the alarm, and very few had gone deep into the ship where evacuation was difficult.
Xie Yu's uneasy heart finally calmed down a bit, "What's the situation in the power compartment?"
"Unclear, they haven't come out since entering."
"Understood!" Xie Yu frowned, "Attention all personnel, abandon all unnecessary compartments. Squads One and Two, secure the passages. The rest of you, follow me!"
The soldiers immediately sprang into action.
Xie Yu added, "Ou Zhanpeng, I need your help!"
"No problem!"
Ou Zhanpeng got up from his seat, "Leave the assault boat to you. Follow my orders."
Ling Xiao was startled and instinctively took over the assault boat, "Where are you going?"
"To avenge you!" Ou Zhanpeng replied.
Ling Xiao looked disdainful, "I'd believe you if I were a ghost!"
"Maintain altitude!" Ou Zhanpeng, fully equipped, secured the rappelling rope to his waist, opened the hatch, and leaped out.
His gaze swept around, and he immediately spotted several hidden giant creatures. He raised his heavy-caliber machine gun and fired a few bursts, clearing the path forward for the assault team.
More giant creatures appeared. They had no intention of intercepting the assault team. They all raised their arms and aimed at the assault boats in the air.
"Descend!" Ou Zhanpeng roared, his machine gun firing continuously, clearing the giant creatures within his line of sight.
It was strange. These giant creatures were very clumsy, almost taken down with a single shot, completely different from the giant creatures encountered earlier.
After losing more than a dozen giant creatures, the aliens finally realized that such attacks were useless. The giant creatures that had been distributed throughout the various compartments disappeared in an instant.
Xie Yu's expression changed drastically: "Not again?"
A moment later, the assault team arrived outside the power compartment. The soldiers took cover and prepared for battle.
Ou Zhanpeng severed the rope behind him and landed on the relatively protruding Deck E2, but he immediately made a powerful second leap onto the fourth level, "What's the situation?"
Xie Yu shook his head, "Unclear."
Inside the compartment, a large, dumb robot—a brain-fish specialized robot—was standing in a corner, issuing commands. Dozens of giant creatures were busy milling about, some dismantling pipes, some carrying parts, and some sealing breaches.
A giant creature suddenly approached the brain-fish machine and emitted a low humming sound, like a faulty engine running with a problem.
The brain-fish machine made a similar sound, and the giant creature suddenly turned, picked up an assistant, and walked out.
"What are you doing, you..." Professor Wu struggled fiercely, but was punched in the face by the giant creature guarding him, instantly falling silent.
The compartment door opened, and the assault team members outside immediately raised their guns. However, what came out first were not alien creatures, but the pale-faced assistant researcher.
The giant creature holding him hostage followed, making a throat-slitting gesture with its hand.
The meaning was clear: attack and the hostage would be killed—although they couldn't communicate verbally, gestures were the most universal language in the universe, requiring no translation.
Xie Yu's face darkened, and everyone else was indignant.
Just then, the assistant, with a face as pale as paper, let out a desperate cry, "They are repairing the power furnace, they are repairing it..."
The giant creature knocked out the unfortunate assistant with a punch.