"This is Captain Short Horn Star. Passengers, we are currently under attack by scavengers. We will soon be operating at full power. Once we enter warp orbit, we will be able to escape the enemy. Please do not worry, the enemy will not be able to break through. We have extensive experience in dealing with attacks."
This time, the voice coming from the loudspeaker was no longer a synthesized mechanical voice, but the captain's calm, masculine voice, reassuring the passengers.
As a low-level travel group, the Short Horn Star was constantly threatened by scavengers and space pirates. The Short Horn Star was specially modified to have a very tough shield, making it easy to escape.
"This is bad..." Han Xiao's teeth ached. He just wanted to reach his destination safely, why was it so difficult? The space attack was a predicament that he couldn't solve with his current strength, and to a large extent he could only leave it to fate.
More than a dozen scavenger ships circled and attacked, displaying three different symbols. Suddenly, Han Xiao recognized one of the symbols, and his eyes narrowed.
"Boneless Bird?!"
Han Xiao immediately thought of Sisoli from a few days ago and searched the crowd, but to no avail. Sisoli had vanished without a trace. Han Xiao frowned, grabbed a flight attendant, described Sisoli's appearance, and demanded, "Where did this person go?"
The flight attendant was the same one who had seduced Kerlodd when they first boarded the ship. Now, she looked panicked and stammered, "That... that passenger was moved to the VIP cabin yesterday..."
Kerlodd leaned closer, looking tense. "These are the Boneless Bird Scavengers. They must have been sent by that middleman from last time. They actually launched a blatant attack. If this ship can't hold out, we're all doomed. I'm not done living yet."
"Nonsense, nobody's tired of living."
The attack was sudden and difficult to prevent in advance. Sisoli has powerful backers who can call for help, while Han Xiao currently has no interstellar support and is helpless and in a very passive position. Moreover, Sisoli's thoughts are unknown, and Han Xiao cannot truly read minds, so he does not know what the other party will do. Furthermore, if he makes the first move on the spaceship, he will be kicked off the ship in no time.
Thinking about this now is useless. Han Xiao calmed down and said, "Sisoli is one of their people and is on the ship. These scavengers won't destroy the ship; they will definitely land. There are two possibilities: one is that they will cripple the Short Horn Star and threaten to destroy the ship to force us to submit; the other is that they can't do anything to the Short Horn Star and can only break through from the inside to land first. There's no way to deal with the first one, but we can still try to resist in the second one."
"What should we do then?"
"We can only fight back if we get our weapons first." Han Xiao's mind raced. The use of force and carrying lethal weapons were not allowed on the spaceship—except in special circumstances, such as unremovable bio-engineered equipment.
All luggage and equipment are stored in the spaceship's hangar.
"Okay, don't abandon me, I can fight." Kerlodd at him with an expression of utter devotion.
Han Xiao immediately grabbed the female flight attendant and demanded, "Where is the warehouse?!"
The flight attendant, overhearing their conversation, widened her eyes in astonishment, realizing that the Goddora was actually a follower and that she had been mistaken all along; this unassuming human was the leader. She quickly regained her composure and, trembling, pointed out the way.
Without a word, Han Xiao was about to rush out of the hall when the female flight attendant hurriedly said, "Hey, don't go! The spaceship has entered safety mode, and the exits to the hall are locked. Nobody can get out..."
Bang!!
The players following closely behind unleashed their strongest attacks, creating a dazzling display of light and sound. With a deafening crash, broken mechanical locks scattered across the ground, and the metal door flew out. Han Xiao didn't slow down at all, leading his men out, leaving the passengers in the hall in a state of panic and hesitation.
The stalemate between the scavengers and the Short Horn Star is still ongoing, and the situation remains unclear. Most passengers are watching with fear in their eyes. His actions are not impulsive. Master Technician Han has never liked letting others decide the outcome. Regardless of whether the scavengers can break in or not, he wants to plan ahead and seize the initiative.
If the Short Horn Star can escape successfully, that would be the best outcome. If it falls, it is crucial that he act now. If he waits until the enemy breaks in before starting preparations, it will be too late.
The group ran for nearly ten minutes, but the shockwaves from the attack never stopped. They could feel the reaction force growing stronger, indicating that the Short Horn Star was accelerating wildly. However, it failed to enter the jump orbit, and Han Xiao knew something was wrong.
Many devices can prevent a spaceship from entering a warp jump; since scavengers have a business of robbery, they must be equipped with similar devices to prevent their prey from escaping.
Suddenly, the spaceship vibrated dozens of times more violently than before, accompanied by a deafening explosion. Everyone staggered and almost fell.
Han Xiao's expression hardened. The universe is a vacuum; any sound means the enemy has broken in and the shield has been breached.
Goodness, that captain has a terrible jinx!
The moment the sound came, the panel simultaneously issued a notification:
[You have triggered the emergency mission [Defend the Short Horn Star]]
[Mission Introduction: For some reason, several groups of space scavengers have targeted your tour group. They plan to land and attack Short Horn Star. A steady stream of scavengers are boarding the ship, intending to capture all the passengers. Your fate is inextricably linked to this spaceship.]
[Mission Requirements: Defeat all scavengers and protect the Short Horn Star]
[Rewards: 350,000 experience points, 1,500 Enas, unlocks regional reputation]
"It seems the scavengers chose the second method. Besides the Boneless Bird, there are two other unfamiliar scavenger groups. Their coordinated attack on us is definitely not just about capturing a group of slaves..."
Han Xiao's eyes flickered slightly. He turned his head and saw that the more than twenty online players behind him were staring blankly, which meant they were looking at their screens. After a moment's thought, he realized that they had also triggered the same task, so he wouldn't need to use his own quota.
Temporarily disregarding the reward, Han Xiao turned on his communicator, only to find there was no signal. There was only one explanation for this: the scavengers possessed advanced communication-blocking equipment, undoubtedly used to prevent their prey from seeking help from nearby civilizations. Clearly, they were well-prepared and determined to succeed.
"The enemy has already breached the defenses." Han Xiao said in a deep voice, "We can't rely on the ship's own protection. I don't want to be left to die; we must protect this ship. I have a plan. First, we'll retrieve the weapons from the warehouse. Then, we'll split into three groups: one to the control room, another to find the captain and officers—they have the authority to operate the ship. The enemy will definitely be heading towards these two targets when they land. Every second counts, and Head-On Engagement is very likely. We know nothing about the enemy's combat capabilities, so we must proceed with caution."
"The last team will go find the emergency escape vehicle. A spaceship this big must have such a feature; this is the only viable escape route."
Splitting players into groups has a significant advantage; they can communicate with each other through the interface without being blocked. Using this feature, Han Xiao can grasp the overall situation by asking the players around him.
No one objected, and they followed the instructions.
Without delay, Han Xiao led his men to the warehouse.
On the side of the Short Horn Star, the shield was breached by concentrated fire. Before the shield could repair itself, seven scavenger ships extended hard mechanical rams from their noses and rammed into the Short Horn Star, embedding themselves in it. Thick smoke billowed from the hole, and a large group of scavengers successfully boarded the ship and entered its interior.
Hundreds or even thousands of scavengers, armed with various firearms, fired beams of light and bullets, engaging in fierce combat with the bodyguards of the Short Horn Star, with screams and falls occurring frequently.
Gunfire was frequent and intense.
Most of the soldiers involved in the battle were ordinary people of various races, with a small number of superhumans among them.
One of the spaceship bodyguards was a martial artist from the insectoid race. He had six arms and used the Six-Sword Style. He moved nimbly through the crowd, his cold light flashing, and one by one, the scavengers fell, spitting blood.
call--
Suddenly, a huge black shadow enveloped the insect-man martial artist and quickly descended.
The intense wind pressure was like a Black Hole, sucking away the surrounding air and causing everyone to feel suffocated.
"Hiss..." The insect-man martial artist let out a miserable insect-like cry and raised his six swords to parry.
Boom!!
The insectoid vanished instantly, the deck caved in and shattered, but the edges were jagged and sharp, resembling a crater!
A massive warhammer was slowly raised. The hammerhead, covering an area of about one square meter, was covered with the green, acidic blood of the insectoid race, emitting foul white smoke and dripping incessantly with a hissing sound.
With one strike, the insectoid turned into a paper doll!
Snake Braid slung a silver-handled warhammer over one hand, the alloy handle scraping against the rocky skin with a clicking sound. He shouted, "Quickly kill all the guards! Then the Gazers Ones will clear out the control room, and the Beast Hoof will take control of the hostages..."
For this job, Snake Braid also invited two other groups of scavengers to help, called [The Gazers] and [Beast Hoof].
As for the others...
The Snake Braid flicked her braid and grinned maliciously, "Come with me and find that Goddora person!"