Chapter 543: Hunting
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The Colossal World was full of wonders, but a giant monster as big as a mountain covered with large colorful spots that had long tentacles swaying at both ends that could hover in the air was still very rare.
Although Essengug only saw the ferocious bodies of the ancient biochemical weapons from the three-dimensional picture displayed in the ‘light energy scanner,’ he, who had rich experience in war, still felt a sense of heavy pressure. After only a few seconds of contemplation, he immediately ordered in a grave expression, “Go wake Officer Karim up!”
“Yes, Commander!” The adjutant not far away immediately saluted and strode out of the steering cabin. Very soon, Karim, who had gone to rest, appeared beside Essengug, still with some traces of steam rising on his face.
“I’m sorry, Karim. I know that you hate to be disturbed and that you’ve been working continuously for several days to compile the battle plan, but this matter is urgent, so I need your judgment…” When the fleet commander saw his best friend’s haggard appearance, he said apologetically.
Before he could finish his words, he was already interrupted by the chief staff officer who was staring at the 3D picture, “Essengug, I’m not an idiot. I know that it’s a critical moment now. What is your prejudgment?”
“The surface is non-metallic substance. We presumed that this is a strange creature.” Essengug no longer apologized and succinctly said.
“Strange creature…” Karim thought over this judgment and instinctively felt that things were not so simple. “It’s too peculiar if they are really living creatures.”
“Shall we stop them?”
“No, judging from the momentum, they are ‘big guys,’ and we only have three wars.h.i.+ps. There is no benefit in provoking them. If they mean no malice, then it’s better for us to temporarily evade.”
“I think so too!” Essengug nodded and acknowledged Karim’s idea. When the two people on the Atlantis fleet had come to a consensus, the wars.h.i.+ps hovering by the coast silently activated and slowly retreated to the depth of the island.
The wars.h.i.+ps of light energy civilization entered the state of combat readiness. When they were sailing, the outer sh.e.l.ls would automatically refract the surrounding scenery and connect to a semi-stealth mode. However, when the Atlantis fleet was moving, the slight airflow changes that they set off were immediately noticed by the discerning tentacles of the Wizard Li giant biological weapons that were waving around. Not only that, but their positions were locked in place as well.
Soon, a loud, polite announcement resonated from the crystal room in the ‘Ancient One,’ “Great G.o.d, the skybeast has already found the traces of the outlanders and their sneaky skybeasts. Shall we destroy them now?”
Zhang Lisheng looked at the distant moving clouds through the insect’s compound eye-like transparent crystal cabin and said in a blank expression, “No. Follow behind the outlander’s skybeasts and force them to leave Wizard Li Island.”
The young man’s purpose was to intimidate the alien fleet invading the Shrimp World No. 2, not to destroy them. He must have a sense of propriety, for if he showed an excessive bellicose manner, the loss will outweigh the gain if the Atlantis regarded them as a strong, powerful, threatening enemy.
Not long after the young man gave out his order, the spots on the edge of the body of the ‘Ancient One’ cracked into a mouthpart and let out a loud sound, transmitting the G.o.d’s command to the entire fleet.
The change of the Wizard Li’s flags.h.i.+p form was clearly displayed in the 3D picture in the Atlantis battles.h.i.+p steering cabin. Essengug could not help but shudder and curse when he saw the mouthpiece that was entirely filled with teeth, “Look how terrifying the teeth on those fellows! Karim, the explorers in World 30009 must be exiled! To think that they didn’t even mention a word about these powerful creatures in the report at all!”
“It’s not the time to complain now, Essengug! Look at the flying trajectory of those monsters!” Karim who was by the side calmly adjusted the light k.n.o.b to draw a dotted line on the 3D picture. “They’re obviously chasing us. The situation is not good! They are barring their teeth! Oh, it looks like we’ve been treated as their prey!”
“Iron prey? Aren’t these big fellows afraid of shattering their teeth? What a lowly creature that has a head inversely proportional to their body!”
“When the body has evolved to a point where it could crush all prey, of course, the brain would no longer need to evolve. What’s more, our ancestors have even seen monsters that could swallow planets before, so who knows if these fellows can digest steel or not…”
“Stop making such a dangerous a.n.a.logy on the battlefield, Karim!” The fleet commander said with a taut expression, “Since a battle is unavoidable, we can only fight back. On top of that, let us take the initiative to start the fight first. What do you think?”
“The number of enemies is far above ours, and their power is unknown. Even if we want to take the initiative, we must try to control the situation and try not to scare them away!” The officer said in deep contemplation, “Let’s discharge two sergeant armies to disrupt our enemies first. If there are several dozens of small bugs with strong power flying out of the body of the huge prey, then I believe that these monsters would give up in chasing.”
“You’re always so careful, Karim.” Essengug casually remarked with a slightly relaxed expression before loudly giving out his order. “Stop sailing! Patrolling sergeant teams of 01 and 03 will attack. It’s a free attack operation.”
As the fleet commanded gave out his order, the three wars.h.i.+ps stopped in the air right away. A metal door slowly opened on the belly compartment of the flags.h.i.+p in the middle of the fleet. Several dozens of Atlantean sergeants that were emitting dazzling light flew out in a formation of two by two.
After reorganizing into two teams outside, these sergeants, whose bodies were entirely wrapped in silver-white tight-fitting combat uniforms with their fiery red hair floating in the air, hovered while looking at the enemies that were exponentially growing in size as they approached. Sensing the enormous pressure, the faces hidden in the mask gradually became solemn.
Two people in both teams seemed to be the sergeant and leaders since their arms were painted with a bright ball of light. The captain who appeared to be showing off a strong man’s outline underneath the combat uniform suggested loudly, “Captain Lilith, I’m afraid the opponents will not be easy to deal with this time. I think we should have a joint attack.”
“A joint attack?” The female leader hesitated before refusing, “Captain Abigala, our team is used to guerrilla warfare, and yours is good at attacking against heavily fortified positions. I don’t think a joint force will be a good idea. All sergeants in 03 patrol team, take note! Stand three by three and make a scattered attack. We’ll make a cl.u.s.ter attack at the target that I attack first. Attack!”
When her words left her mouth, the female captain who had a graceful bearing stretched out her arms. The light stone in her palm exuded dazzling light, and with a ‘swoosh,’ she rapidly flew forward.
Upon seeing their captain flying towards the enemy, over 30 Atlanteans sergeants tacitly gripped their light stones at the same time and charged towards the terrifying giant beasts in the distance after transforming into a meteor.
“Did you guys hear the most heroic and powerful female sergeant in the flags.h.i.+p said that our team is good at attacking against heavily fortified positions? The terms’ patrol’ and ‘attacking a fortification’ are originally contradicting statements, but because of our bravery, they’re combined together!” Even though the male captain’s proposal had been rejected, he was very magnanimous about it. Not only that, but he did not show any anger, he even seized this opportunity to boost the morale of his depressed sergeants. “Look at the performance of the 03 patrol team…” he said as he pointed to the distance.
At the distance where the sea met the sky, the Atlantean sergeants started flying around a giant beast. The light b.a.l.l.s that they launched had grown extremely dazzling and blinding. From time to time, they would shoot out hot lasers and raging flames, transforming the sky into an ocean of light and fire.
After being attacked, the Wizard Li warriors who were controlling the ancient biological weapon’s central system reported to Zhang Lisheng, “Great G.o.d, some of the outlanders have left their skybeasts and attacked us with spells. Shall we kill these outlanders or continue to pursue their skybeasts.
“Does the attack of the outlanders injure our skybeasts?”
“Yes, but only superficial wounds, Your Majesty.”
“Superficial wounds are wounds too. We must be careful not to let them acc.u.mulate…” The young man who was looking at the front of the crystal cabin muttered and ordered, “Give an all-out attack. Get rid of these nasty ‘small bugs’ in the shortest possible time!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” When a high-spirited answer resonated, the ancient war weapons floating in the air could finally show their ferocious faces on the battlefield after so many years under the Wizard Li’s G.o.d’s order. Their tentacles that were originally blindly waving in the wind immediately stretched out rapidly, bundling up seven to eight flying b.a.l.l.s that were caught off guard in the air. With a tightening of the tentacles, one by one, they exploded into b.l.o.o.d.y mist and pile of meat.
At the same time, the vast spots on the biochemical wars.h.i.+p cracked into mouthparts before densely spraying numerous powerful long-range attacks of a strong acid, death rays, and frozen rays at all angles, killing all surrounding Atlanteans sergeants in an instant.
After killing all of the light b.a.l.l.s near them, a giant biochemical weapon in front of the fleet suddenly opened its dorsal fin with hundreds of slender terrifying creatures creeping out of it.
These monsters looked like a centipede, but they did not have a head. Their limbs were replaced with stretchable bone blades too.
Their abdomen and ridges were covered with small holes that were spurting out strong airflows that could be adjusted into different directions. Rapidly tumbling and shuttling through the air, it broke through the sound barrier and charged towards the other team of Atlantean sergeants hovering in the air. In the close combat of fire, glare, and bone blades, half of them were sacrificed to eliminate the remaining enemies.
On the battlefield, the confrontation of cold weapons would always appear abnormally b.l.o.o.d.y. Watching the last light ball being cut into two halves from the middle by the bone blade that had suddenly stretched to turn into ten meters long, a comrade who was severed from his waist continuously wiggling his upper half body in pain while organs falling out scattering all over the ground with blood, Essengug was first struck dumb with fear, before putting on a solemn expression.
“Those are not monsters! Those are not monsters!” The fleet commander grew silent for a long time and finally gnashed his teeth as he said, “There’s no creature capable of simultaneously spraying acid rain, concentrated nitrogen rays, and flames! No creature can have so many parasitic aggressive animals hidden in the soft abdominal cavity. This is a biochemical wars.h.i.+p, a biochemical battles.h.i.+p! Karim! We’ve encountered a sophisticated and powerful civilization…”