Inside the cockpit of the DR-7 Transport Boat.
"I'm Captain Mark of the Ravager Squad. Lighthouse, this is Mark. Please respond. Please respond."
Mark's call over the exclusive channel came through the cockpit radio.
When Mark agreed to lead Arthur and the others to the lighthouse, he had given them the lighthouse's exclusive channel so they could contact the control room directly.
The pilot and gunner remained in their original seats, while Arthur stood behind the pilot, his brows slightly furrowed and his eyes narrowed as he observed the lighthouse several kilometers ahead of the Flying Formation.
A giant mushroom.
That was Arthur's first impression upon seeing the lighthouse.
"Zzt... Th... is..."
Just as Arthur was observing the lighthouse, the radio crackled. Then the signal cleared, and a female operator's voice came through:
"This is the lighthouse. Is that Captain Mark?"
"This is the Ravager Squad." Mark's voice came through as well. "We've completed our gathering mission and request permission to return to the lighthouse. Also...
"We discovered some survivors. Their Flying Formation is directly above our convoy. I hope the lighthouse can clear some space so these fellows can dock inside."
"...Zzt..."
After Mark finished speaking, only faint static came through the channel. The other side did not immediately respond.
It seemed the lighthouse had fallen into a brief panic because of Arthur and the others' arrival.
Several minutes later.
The convoy had already reached the base of the lighthouse. The Flying Formation made up of the DR-7 and Pelican hovered level beneath the lighthouse's "mushroom," yet the control room still had not replied.
However.
Arthur saw many people appear on the lighthouse. Some stood on the streets beneath the mushroom, while others occupied the dangerous suspended areas, pointing at their Flying Formation as though they had seen something