Chapter 459: Attack From Both Sides
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
The students on the ship were the future of the Confederation. Kaost was determined to not risk any of their lives.
It didn't take long before the tide of the battle started to favor the Ark's soldiers. It was evident that the cohort of pirates had underestimated the power of the most powerful battlecruiser of humanity.
Somewhere deep in the space, a dark figure was watching the battle on a screen, while on another screen next to it, Carmen knelt on the ground with his head lowered.
"This is truly a marvelous ship they have got."
"My lord, this is the technology created by the Blade Warrior. I believe that the Blade Warrior is hiding many more such secrets." Carmen said servilely.
"It's about time to unveil our true strength. I want this ship captured. Send out our fleet now."
"Yes, my lord."
"You have done a good job with regards to Patroclus. Our liege is very pleased."
Carmen's face was lit up with glee, "All thanks to you, my lord."
There was cold silence at the other end of the line, which soured Carmen's smile on his face. An even colder voice followed, "But, you let Wang Tong slip away under your nose!"
Carmen wanted to explain for himself. However, his words melted in his mouth and turned into a wail. Things were moving about in his bowels, thrusting and thumping. Tears poured out of Carmen's eyes as he wiggled his body on the floor like a pathetic worm. All the while, a crimson light shone in the eyes of Carmen's master. After a time, the light faded and, Carmen also stopping thrashing.
"I will let you live this time. Do not fail me again."
"Yes... my liege."
"Wait." Another voice reverberated in the room, cold and lifeless. "Wang Tong and the Ark are both mines!"
Despite the heated battle outside of the ship, Wang Tong was ordered to station in the storage room and look after the equipment. He would have stomached unreasonable order if it were not a bloody war outside. He knew he had to get out there and help. However, an order was an order. After breaking the rule and sneaking off the ship, Wang Tong could no longer afford to cross the line again. As anger and indignation roiled inside him as he sat in the storage room and waited. He figured that summoning the Einherjar METAL would save him from committing the crime of stealing space METAL from the ship. However, ever since the last space battle, Mr. Wannabe had been dormant and didn't answer Wang Tong's calls.
"Why? Why wouldn't Kaost let me go out there and fight?" The same question rang inside of Wang Tong's mind over and over again. He knew he would be of great help to the situation.
"Wang Tong, have some water." Tee handed a bottle of water to him.
"There's nothing to complain about. You are a soldier, and your only job is to follow orders. It's not just you. Li Shiming and Lie Jian are ordered to stay put inside the ship as well." Tee consoled Wang Tong. Ever since Wang Tong had rescued Samantha from the Zerg's death clutch, he had grown on her. She was impressed not only by his strength, but also his ability to remain levelheaded and make decisive decisions.
Life might not give Wang Tong everything he wanted, but things happened for a reason. Kaost knew that it was imperative to protect the important students, such as Wang Tong and Li Shiming. As pressure from all sides rushed in, Kaost needed to weigh his options carefully, as any decision would have far-reaching consequences, some of which would be extremely unpleasant.
After a few bouts of firing at each other, the new battery's advantage started to shine. Despite the intense enemy barrage, the energy shield held steadily and didn't even flicker. This was almost impossible for ships with conventional batteries.
With a solid defense against the incoming fire, the offensive capability of the ship took full control of the battle and shredded the enclosing enemy ships into pieces.
Seeing the majority of the fleet turn into dust, the rest of the pirate ships turned on their heels and fled the battlefield. Ark didn't chase after them, fearing it was a ruse to break their formation. Everyone knew that the cohort was not the main force of the Zerg's army; it was merely a sample of what was about to come at them.
The attack didn't deter Kaost's aspiration to reach the Andromeda Galaxy. However, he ordered the ship to take a detour around any other space cities along the way.
In the days that followed, Kaost's decision had proven to be very wise. Nonetheless, Ark still weathered more than eight skirmishes, both with Zergs and patrols sent from the space cities. Two of such conflicts spiraled out of control very quickly, and Kaost had to give the order to demolish the space cities.
The scene in those cities was sickening. There was no human left, only grotesque walking husks filled to the brim with rotten corruption. The Zergs had turned the strong bodies into their host, and the weak ones into food.
As days went by, the battle started to become more intense, and so did the Zerg's atrocities in the space cities. Without any restocking, Ark's supply was dwindling. What was worse, the constant discharge had taken a toll on the ship's battery, and the Ark was forced to stop and let the battery recharge from time to time.
When Ark left Luolan, Kaost was confident that the supply would last until they reached his destination. However, the constant fear and stress and driven many wealthy passengers to the brink of madness. As they sought refuge in the comfort of food and debauchery, the supply dropped drastically.
The development had caught Kaost off guard. Desperate, the captain announced a new rationing system on the ship. Meanwhile, he ordered the maintenance crew to work round the clock to repair the ship's damages.
The new rationing system had angered the passengers. Shouting slogans such as "Stop the Tyrant" and "Human Rights Matter!", they marched towards the Captain's office. Kaost acted quickly and squashed the protest with an iron fist. Two leaders of the protesters were incarcerated, and the crowd quickly dispersed. However, the resentment towards Kaost's rule infested under the seemingly quiet surface. By then, many passengers had realized that the expedition was not what they were promised it would be. They were told that the voyage would be a death blow to the puny outlaws, but ever since they landed at Luolan, they had been fighting with the increasingly larger number of Zergs.
Ever since the defeat on Norton, Zergs rarely engaged in a fight with the Confederation forces. So, the relentless attacks seemed odd. It was as if they were after something on the ship which was precious to them. Was the Ark hiding something from the public? What was the real goal of this expedition? When would Kaost think that enough was enough and bring the ship back to the solar system? One question bade another, but none of them had the answers.
Kaost sank his body in an armchair, taking a long, hard drag on the cigar in between his fingers. He felt defeated as he reflected on the development so far. The Zergs had evolved; they had become smarter, but no less vicious—they had become more like the humans.
Although the Zergs real motive in waging war on Ark still eluded Kaost, he had a nagging feeling that they intended to capture the ship instead of destroying it.