Interstellar Survival: Invasion

Chapter 205: Sacred Wing Race's Surprise Attack

Chapter 205: Sacred Wing Race's Surprise Attack

I looked back and saw that it was Zhang Bao'er's chubby hand.

"How can you go on a private operation without me? That's too mean!" said Zhang Bao'er with an angry expression.

"Bao'er, you misunderstood. We're only going to the library for some reading. I thought you hated reading? That's why we didn't consider bringing you," I said.

"I love reading. Why didn't you bring me along?" asked Old Du, who also decided to join in.

"Fine. It sure feels weird when the three of us are separated. Let's go together. With more people, we can gather information faster," I suggested to Baron Sisse.

The baron nodded at me, indicating his agreement.

"Canyue, where are you going?" Zhang Xingxing suddenly appeared behind me.

I told her Baron Sisse's plan. Upon hearing me, she hesitated slightly before agreeing. She even reminded us to return promptly and not affect the military operation. With permission from the commander, we were able to openly strut to the flight area. At that time, Jack and the others were still busy repairing Skyhawk. The place was bustling with busy personnel.

"Let's take that flying vehicle," said Baron Sisse as he pointed at a round vehicle ahead of us.

We did not object and followed him onto the vehicle. The vehicle had the shape of a ball, allowing the passengers a 360-degree view of the outside. The four thrusters under the vehicle were in charge of movement.

After we were all seated, Baron Sisse started the vehicle in a well-practiced manner. The round vehicle soared into the air. From the system, I could see that the four thrusters below the vehicle had shifted to the back to push the vehicle forward now that the vehicle was in the air. As the vehicle moved slowly, it entered stealth.

We were not new to flying, but soaring through the air with a clear view of our surroundings and the vast, green grasslands below us caused us to be fully immersed in the beauty of nature. The only thing on Rumble that I couldn't get used to was the rumble every 15 minutes. The rumble was, in fact, rather annoying.

Gero City wasn't too far from our military base. However, the round vehicle was the slowest flying vehicle I had ever seen. It was only moving at 120 kilometers per hour, approaching Gero City at an incredibly slow speed.

At that time, night was approaching. Alnitak Aa, massive and blue in the sky, was about to set. This blue indistinct star, known on Blue as the auspicious star of longevity, could be clearly seen here due to its short distance from Rumble. It wasn't excessively bright, as it was getting late, but we could still see it clearly enough that we could even see the nuclear reaction on its roiling surface.

"Looks like there are quite a lot of sunspots on this Alnitak Aa as well," I remarked as I saw some black dots on Alnitak Aa's surface.

"The sunspots here look so different from the ones on our sun. It's almost like several black spots are congregating together and moving constantly," said Old Du.

"Canyue, why do I feel like these sunspots look so weird? I seem to even see a few of them leaving the star," said Zhang Bao'er doubtfully.

"What?" Baron Sisse immediately turned on the round vehicle's probe and scanned the sky.

Instantly, a massive fleet appeared on the screen. Hundreds of enemy ships had appeared in the direction of the blue star, hiding amid the star's radiance. They were slowly approaching Gero City.

"My god. Who are these people? They don't look friendly at all," said Zhang Bao'er.

"They are definitely unfriendly. The system indicates that the markings on these ships resemble the Sacred Wing race's writings. Wind Spirit had once shown me this script before. Looks like the traitorous Hakan and the clone soldiers are returning with the assistance of the Sacred Wing race," said Baron Sisse.

"What do we do now? Our people at the base are busy preparing for the Horsehead Nebula operation. Should we notify Gero City's garrison immediately?" asked Old Du.

"We definitely need to notify them, but I don't know the military frequency they use. We can only notify our base and have them pass the information," said Baron Sisse.

"No, don't do it. Sending a message will expose ourselves and our base. The enemies are moving very slowly. They will probably wait until it's night before making a move. If we can reach Gero City earlier, we can personally notify King Carter to prepare his defenses," I said.

"Baron, how far are we to Gero City?" asked Zhang Bao'er.

"We still need 30 minutes to reach the city. We are two hours away from nightfall. If the enemies plan to attack at night, we will have enough time," said Baron Sisse.

Having decided on a plan, we could only helplessly approach Gero City on our slow round vehicle. After about 15 minutes, we started seeing the familiar mechanical bird in the darkening sky. We were near Gero City.

"Hey, I suddenly recalled something terrifying. This city should be very easy to attack. They only need to take down this giant bird, right?" said Zhang Bao'er when he recalled that Principal Sosse had said that the city would stand as long as the bird stands.

"Do you think a divine bird that has been protecting this city for over 1,000 years is so weak?" asked Baron Sisse.

The baron's words made sense. The giant mechanical bird was definitely not as weak and simple as Zhang Bao'er thought. There must be something special about it. Nevertheless, we reached Gero City before the Sacred Wing race. The defenses in the city were rather lax. We were able to enter without even a basic inspection.

When we arrived above the basin, the vehicle left stealth. Soon, a guide mechanical bird came to lead us to a landing zone. After landing, we leaped off the vehicle and quickly looked for a mechanical cart. We had the driver take us to the Kenanten palace at top speed. The mechanical cart rushed toward the palace. About 15 minutes later, we arrived at the palace gate. At that point, there were only 75 minutes before nightfall.

"I have an urgent military report. I need to meet King Carter immediately. We're envoys from the Interstellar League," Baron Sisse announced loudly as he strode forth with wide steps.

Perhaps the guards had been used to the frequent presence of outsiders in recent days, so when they saw how impatient we looked, they wasted no time and led the way to the king. After going through the familiar garden, we reached a small dining hall. With one glance, I saw King Carter and Principal Sosse enjoying a meal. Our old friend Baobao was standing beside them, acting like he was some sort of military attendant.

"Your Majesty, Principal, we have an important military report to give. The fleet of the empire's Sacred Wing race is about to reach Gero City soon," said Baron Sisse the moment we were there.

Principal Sosse turned pale with fright. It was obvious the imperial army had left quite a shadow in his heart. On the other hand, King Carter still looked as composed as ever. After swallowing the big green worm in his hand, we waved at an attendant beside him.

"Notify the old, young, women, and children to enter the Farmer's Valley, which is in the right side of the city, and tell them to take shelter from the enemy attack. Have the royal guards take the lead and organize all the soldiers in the city. Have them man their posts and prepare for battle. Send our mechanical birds out and notify Gunda to return as soon as possible with his 30,000 soldiers. Notify Chief Maley and try to get his assistance as well," said King Carter. He acted with the composure expected of a ruler of the Wargod race, giving out a series of orders in a calm and unhurried manner.

"Maley? Can we even trust that fellow?" asked Principal Sosse.

"I don't expect to see him here. I only intend to notify him since we're notifying the others," said the king with a frown.

"Your Majesty, can you have a mechanical bird notify Commander Zhang Xingxing as well? We will be staying behind to help with the defense of Gero City," said Baron Sisse.

"That's great to hear! I know you're on the verge of leaving on an important operation. However, Kenante is facing war now. We Wargods do not fear war, but we will still welcome any help," said King Carter gratefully.

"Baobao, what are you doing here?" I took the chance to ask.

"Commander Xingxing assigned me as Principal Sosse's assistant. Therefore, I was sent here," said Baobao helplessly.

"Principal, since its wartime, can we have Baobao temporarily assigned to our team for the battle?" I asked.

Principal Sosse hesitated, but when he saw that even King Carter was looking at him, he had no choice but to agree. Baobao ran to us in excitement. Since we were in a rush, an attendant immediately came to bring us out of the palace and to the city gate.

"I thought we were here to read some books? Why did it turn into a battle? Just how unlucky can we get?" Zhang Bao'er started complaining.

"We need to rejoice that we have decided to come and look for a way to resurrect Li Yizhi. We wouldn't have accidentally discovered this sneak attack otherwise, and the Kenante Kingdom could have suffered gravely from the attack," said Old Du.

"Zhang Bao'er, if you're afraid, the round flying vehicle is still there. You can leave at any time. None of us will stop you," said Baron Sisse, who was becoming tired of Zhang Bao'er's complaining.

"What nonsense are you saying? I was merely grumbling," said Zhang Bao'er before shutting his mouth, worried that the baron would really send him away.

Soon, we reached the city gate. The so-called defensive zone was a military fort near the edge of the basin. Numerous mechanical animals had been assembled there. There were also hundreds of rangers and Wargod soldiers around. Some laser cannons that seemed to serve as anti-aircraft defenses could be seen on the ground as well.

"The Wargods are amazing at close-range combat, but their long-range weapons are rather...sigh," said Baron Sisse with a helpless sigh as he shook his head.

At that point, we were 15 minutes away from nightfall.