CH 178

A Star-class battleship was heading straight toward us, coming from the other side of Cloudcast.

"Senior, a battleship is approaching us rapidly. Are there any weapons on Lightning? We need to defend ourselves," I asked in worry.

"Lightning is a cruiser. It naturally is equipped with weapons. However, the system indicates that the guided missile cannons have all been stripped from the ship," said Li Yizhi, giving me a piece of bad news.

"The Eternals must have stripped the ship's weaponry system. I thought this was a dumping site?" said Old Du.

"The system still requires seven minutes to make full recovery. We must hold on for seven minutes. The rail cannons are still on the ship, but they can only be used after the recharge is complete," said Li Yizhi.

"Seven minutes? Without shields or weapons, it doesn't look good for us," I said.

"Kelly, a battleship is attacking us. Will Spacetime be able to return to support us?" asked Old Du.

"We can't. We are being tied down by the fighter drones. You have to rely on yourselves for now," came Kelly's anxious reply. In the background, intense explosions could be heard.

In a flash, the Star-class battleship had arrived before us. The moment it appeared, a red laser beam was unleashed toward us. Dondon and the baron immediately performed an evasive maneuver. A loud boom sounded as an antenna to the right of the defenseless Lightning exploded after being struck.

"This won't work. We are sitting ducks. If the cargo hold is struck, the lion-faced beasts will be able to leave," I said worriedly.

"Looks like we can only give up on the propulsion for now and forcefully enter a state of invisibility," said Li Yizhi.

"Invisibility is great! They won't be able to see us anymore!" I said.

"It is a temporary measure. We're abandoning the propulsion system and redirecting power to the stealth system. The ship will be able to perform one leap with a limited range after entering invisibility. Let's see if that's good enough to escape their detection," said Li Yizhi.

At this time, the second attack arrived, creating another explosion against the hull of the ship. The ship shook violently, and it was clear that the old hull could no longer take any more attacks.

"Stop hesitating, senior. I suggest we enter invisibility immediately," I said.

As I spoke, Li Yizhi switched the energy priority and shifted the energy that had been accumulated for the propulsion system for five minutes to the defensive system. Slowly, the ship turned invisible. In a few seconds, the ship vanished from view.

"Initiate leap behind us at a 70-degree angle," said Li Yizhi to Dondon who was in charge of piloting.

Dondon understood the order loud and clear. He immediately did as told and moved the ship to face backward at a 70-degree angle before pushing the leap button. Relying on invisibility, Lightning performed a leap in the aimed direction, instantly moving nearly nine kilometers away.

After reaching our destination, Li Yizhi hurriedly turned off all power in the ship, causing the ship to turn completely still. Everything had happened in the span of only several seconds. Upon seeing that we had vanished from view, the enemy ship started firing madly at our previous position. Numerous explosions blazed up where we had been and enveloped the three discarded ships that had previously been piled atop our ship, blasting them into pieces.

However, the enemy ship seemed to have discovered that we had escaped after some analysis, so it started spinning in the same spot.

"Why are they spinning in the same spot? We are no longer there, right?" asked Zhang Bao'er in astonishment.

"Our ship is completely still, but the ship's technology is still too old. The moment we move, they will detect the sound waves we create. Since they did not detect any sound waves, they must suspect that we're hiding nearby," explained Li Yizhi.

"Are they really that smart?" questioned Zhang Bao'er, unconvinced by Li Yizhi's judgment.

However, she was quickly proven correct. The enemy ship started performing a laser scan in a ring-shaped area. A dozen fighter drones were also deployed to perform a more detailed search.

"Their commander must be an expert who knows these outdated ships very well. We have encountered a tricky opponent," said Li Yizhi.

"We can't keep hiding. With the carpet search they're performing, it's only a matter of time before they find us. At that time, we won't even have the power to initiate a leap," I said.

"If their reinforcements arrive, things will be even more troublesome. We need to think of a way to escape," said Old Du.

"I have an idea," Wind Spirit suddenly said.

"What good idea can you come out with? Just say it, stop wasting time," said Zhang Bao'er.

"Abandon ship. As individuals, we are too small for them to detect easily. We can always return later for this ship," said Wind Spirit.

"Yes. We can leave first, create an explosion somewhere to lure them away, and come back for this ship," I agreed.

"Good idea. That's much better than waiting here doing nothing," Zhang Bao'er agreed as well.

"No. My mission is to eliminate these lion-faced beasts. I can't allow them to leave my watch. Unless they're all eliminated, I won't leave," refused Li Yizhi in a straightforward fashion.

We were all at a loss for words, not knowing how to convince this old lady.

"Senior, the situation is urgent. To make gains, we need to make sacrifices," persuaded Baron Sisse, who had left his pilot's seat.

Meanwhile, a fighter drone was already searching nearby.

"No, I will never leave Lightning," refused Li Yizhi stubbornly.

"You obstinate old woman. You said that you couldn't allow them to leave your watch, but how about the 20 years you spent in slumber? Do you know that they have actually escaped during that time? Why didn't you think of that before entering stasis?" said Wind Spirit, her temper flaring up.

The words seemed to work as Li Yizhi suddenly raised her head and a look of intense struggle covered her face.

"We'll leave temporarily and return as soon as possible," she said slowly.

We felt relieved to hear that. We immediately started packing our weapons and preparing to leave. Zhang Bao'er and I took the lead and exited the same way we had entered the ship. At the same time, Dondon informed Spacetime of our plan.

"Old Du, strike down the nearby fighter drones. Bao'er, can you see the discarded ship five kilometers away with your laser probe? Go there and plant a timed cluster bomb. Everyone else, move out of this area. Old Du and Bao'er will reconvene with us after completing their missions. Spacetime will pick us up," I gave a series of rapid commands.

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We split up according to the plan. Through my laser probe, I saw Old Du sprinting a distance of three kilometers in one go under the cover of the ship's remains. He then pulled out the tracking rifle that we hadn't used for a very long time.

Thousands of red tracking bullets shot out toward the nearby fighter drone. The firepower caught the fighter by a surprise and pierced through its shield before blasting it apart. At the same time, a massive mushroom cloud rose up from the distance. Zhang Bao'er's timed bomb had exploded at the perfect moment.

The battleship searching for us and the fighter drones were attracted by the two explosions. They immediately focused on the two points. We were on the verge of success. However, the situation was still critical. We did not have any gear for personal invisibility, and we could be easily detected outside the ship. Spacetime had to return and pick us up immediately. After a few minutes, Zhang Bao'er and Old Du returned to us. At that time, the enemy was fully focused on the explosions. That was the perfect opening for us to escape.

"Kelly, break free from combat and come pick us up," I said.

"Canyue, Spacetime's propulsion system was struck. Wuzhou is performing emergency repairs. We still need a little bit of time," said Kelly.

We could only helplessly hide beneath a discarded ship. Zhang Bao'er, Old Du, and I were in charge of keeping watch. Meanwhile, Li Yizhi was standing silently with her eyes shut and a raygun in hand, seemingly contemplating her next course of action.

"Canyue, look, it's a four-dimensional toad! It seems to be approaching us," said Zhang Bao'er nervously.

I looked over and saw the familiar flickering light heading our way.

"This planet is way too weird. Why is a simple dumping ground filled with so many troubles?" I cursed.

"Perhaps everything is normal on the front side of the planet. We are at the back side, the dark side of the planet. Therefore, all the incomprehensible things are gathered here," said Baron Sisse.

"Stop talking. That floating light can detect sound waves," said Li Yizhi, who suddenly opened her eyes.

We immediately shut our mouths. The moment we turned silent, the toad stopped moving. But shortly after, the floating light continued moving, still in our direction. Li Yizhi waved at all of us. We carefully followed her and switched to a new hiding spot beneath a different discarded ship. Shortly after, the toad arrived at our previous hiding spot and stopped there.

'How close,' I thought nervously. 'Looks like this fellow can even pick up on our chatter even through the wireless communication channel. What a terrifying creature.'

"Canyue, Spacetime's propulsion system has been repaired. We are preparing to withdraw from combat. We will reach you in two minutes. Prepare for pickup," Kelly's voice came from the communicator.