This was an outrage!
Wesley, the noble young master of the Fourth Star Ring, being forced to kneel before some plebeian from the Sixth Star Ring? It was an insult to his family’s honor!
If word of this got out, he’d be a laughingstock among the other noble families for a century.
He clenched his fists, his fingers slowly tightening until his knuckles went white. The overwhelming sense of humiliation threatened to drown him.
He held his head high, staring up at that small opening in the ceiling. Was that lowborn girl standing up there, gloating?
She was probably overjoyed at getting to trample on noble young masters like him.
Ha, she’d surely use this as a medal, something to brag about for the rest of her life!
Damn her!
Lin! Xiao! He!
I’ll remember this.
Wesley’s mind raced with bitter thoughts, but in the end, he knelt. His back, however, remained ramrod straight.
Lin Xiaohe could force him to his knees, but she couldn’t break his spirit.
Come on then. Today’s humiliation, I’ll repay a hundredfold.
Grim-faced, Wesley braced himself for further torment from Lin Xiaohe.
To his surprise, she pulled him out without any fuss and even thoughtfully used her mech’s tentacle to untie his ropes.
Wesley was stunned. What was going on?
Seeing everyone was free, the captain’s expression turned serious as he asked Lin Xiaohe, “How many guards at the warehouse entrance?”
“Huh? None.”
The captain couldn’t believe it. “Not a single one?!”
Lin Xiaohe stated the facts. “Of course not. This is their logistics base. You’re unarmed and not exactly high-value targets. Why would they waste manpower guarding you?”
The captain’s face cracked. Thanks, that was insulting.
“Then why didn’t you just come in through the front door?”
Lin Xiaohe grinned. “Just messing with you. It was fun.”
Damn it!
Everyone cursed inwardly. This was absolutely her way of getting back at them.
Lin Xiaohe: “Alright, enough chatter. Your mechs are in warehouse A-79. Stick close to me.”
Every mech had a different control system. They were deadly in their own suits, but put them in an insurgent mech, and they might not even be able to get it off the ground.
The group stuck tight to the pink beetle mech, and along the way, they didn’t encounter a single patrol.
All thanks to Xinbao.
With Xinbao’s skills, Lin Xiaohe had the entire base’s movements mapped out.
“Okay, grab your mechs and follow me out!”
A whole squad of mechs like this? The patrols could spot them with the naked eye.
Sneaking out like Lin Xiaohe had snuck in? Completely impossible.
So, it was simple: fight!
Lin Xiaohe had Xinbao jam the base’s anti-air missile systems and anti-detection interference, then led the charge.
The special forces split into three groups: one to lob shells at the base’s energy depot and ammunition dump, one to stick with Lin Xiaohe, and one to hold the rear, fighting a delaying action as they retreated.
As long as they didn’t run into the main Iron Meteor force, the special forces could definitely handle the insurgents.
Explosions rang out from warehouses one after another, plunging the base into momentary chaos.
Blazing fires lit up the sky. The insurgents had no idea where this enemy had come from.
“Suppressing fire!” The captain, who’d volunteered to stay behind, glanced at the students about to flee the base, then raised his cannon and aimed at the insurgent mechs scrambling into the air.
Enemy attack!
A shrill alarm wailed across the base.
Mech shells rained down on clusters of insurgent soldiers without mech protection, explosions blossoming everywhere.
Insurgents fell like harvested wheat, limbs flying through the air.
The captain turned decisively. “Fall back!”
The special forces retreated in orderly fashion, quickly catching up with Lin Xiaohe’s group.
Watching a bunch of high-speed mechs slowly crawling over the mountains behind a pink beetle mech, the captain was speechless.
“Lin Xiaohe, why aren’t you just flying?”
With the base’s anti-air missile systems jammed, flying was the fastest way out of the danger zone.
Lin Xiaohe felt helpless. Did she not want to fly? Her mech didn’t have a flight system!
The captain rubbed his nose. For an examinee, Lin Xiaohe had done amazingly well. He couldn’t ask for more.
He looked at the other examinees. “Why aren’t you flying?”
Uh…
Eber had to admit, they were like a flock of startled chicks, wanting nothing more than to huddle under the safe wings of Mother Hen.
And Lin Xiaohe was that mother hen.
Wesley refused to acknowledge that. Righteously, he declared, “We would never abandon a teammate.”
“Yeah, yeah! Never abandon, never give up!”
The captain rolled his eyes. Yeah, right, pull the other one!
“Lin Xiaohe, ditch your mech and ride with me. Everyone else, prepare for lift-off…” The captain’s voice died in his throat as if someone had strangled him.
Even though his radar showed him the surrounding situation perfectly, he still couldn’t help but look up to see what had appeared above them.
“Ahhh! Take cover! Get down NOW!” The captain let out a piercing shriek.
But it was too late.
Every single mech that had lifted off was caught in a massive net.
Only Lin Xiaohe, because her pink beetle mech couldn’t fly, escaped the trap.
Lin Xiaohe stared dumbfounded at the flying behemoth that seemed to blot out the sky.
This was the first time she’d seen a real, living mutated beast.
Its wingspan stretched thirty meters, fluorescent blue blood pulsing through the veins in its wing membranes.
Its metallic feathers sliced through the mechs’ protective shields with ease.
Xinbao: [It’s a juvenile Star-Eater Bird. Its droppings are highly radioactive. Don’t get pooped on.]
The Star-Eater Bird carved its niche among mutated beasts with its iron stomach and incredible defense.
Adults could fly in space.
They usually appeared in flocks and fed on metallic materials.
To them, the Federation special forces’ mechs were delicious little candies.
Even though this one was just a juvenile, its beak could easily peck through a mech, and its claws could tear one in half.
Clearly, everyone trapped recognized the Star-Eater Bird.
The captain was on the verge of despair. Was this divine punishment for not washing his hands after using the bathroom?
How could one person’s luck be this bad?!
Star-Eater Birds rarely appeared in the Fifth Star Ring; they preferred the void zone between the Fifth and Sixth Star Rings.
But here was a juvenile on Gonggong Star!
Captain: “Lin Xiaohe, retreat now! Don’t worry about us. If you run into Federation reinforcements, tell them we were captured by a mutated beast.”
Lin Xiaohe: “There are no reinforcements. I am the reinforcements.”
The captain was dumbfounded. Great. Their last hope was gone.
He said weakly, “I don’t want us all to die here. You run. Save yourself.”
The pink beetle mech seemed lost, scuttling around in circles on the ground.
Wesley couldn’t take it anymore. “Lin Xiaohe, what the hell are you doing?!”
“Taking pictures. Getting shots of you from every angle.”
Wesley’s veins bulged. “Have you lost your mind?!”
“Nope. I just want to show command that I actually did rescue you.”
Wesley was about to explode with rage. “But we’re about to die! Your mission isn’t complete!”
Lin Xiaohe flipped through the photos on her screen, satisfied that she’d covered every angle, and nodded approvingly.
“Dear Master Wesley, my mission was to get you out of the base. Escorting you safely away from here? That’s extra.”
