Retreat

Laser beams chased after the group, filling the sky with their radiant glow.

"Ah!" Almost immediately, Carmela was hit and fell to the ground.

"Reno, help her!" Nora shouted, drawing two guns from her body and firing continuously behind her.

Several soldiers at the forefront fell instantly. The rest quickly sought cover and returned fire from behind the barriers.

Reno rushed over to hold Carmela. "Tychus, remember your duty!"

"Got it!" Tychus's running footsteps suddenly halted as he grabbed an alloy steel plate from the side. With a swing, he positioned the massive alloy plate like a shield at the rear, protecting everyone.

A barrage of laser beams struck the alloy plate, gradually melting it. Tychus, unfazed, discarded the molten plate, turning it into a lethal weapon that impaled a soldier. Despite being hit by several laser beams himself, his rock-like skin proved tougher than steel. He grabbed another alloy plate and threw it again.

Continuously using any available object as cover and weapon, Tychus fought and retreated. The laser beams, capable of slicing through steel plates, seemed helpless against him. However, as more beams came, even the hardest stone could crack. Tychus's body bore burn marks, and his steps grew heavier.

Meanwhile, everyone boarded the ship. Nora, the last one, stood at the hatch, firing at the attackers. "Tychus, get on the ship!"

"No, boarding now will give them a chance to attack the transport ship," Tychus replied. "I'm here; they'll focus on me."

"Damn it!" Nora fired several shots. "You're not tougher than the ship."

"But not much less," Tychus grinned.

"You'll die if you keep this up."

"Not persisting might mean everyone dies," Tychus replied, blood starting to trickle from his mouth. "The boss tasked me with protecting everyone. Holding the rear is my duty. A real man isn't afraid of this!"

With that, he roared, tossing something from his hand that struck another soldier, splitting his head open. However, he himself was hit by three shots, his body shaking violently. His burnt flesh revealed bones and internal organs, but there was surprisingly little blood due to the cauterization.

Nora watched in sorrow, about to rush out, but Reno returned.

He handed Carmela to Claire, instructed Modi and Virus to take off with the transport ship, and came back with a Gatling gun in hand.

"Tychus, catch!" he shouted.

The Gatling gun flew towards Tychus.

Tychus grinned, "Been waiting for this."

He caught the Gatling gun and turned to unleash a barrage of fire.

The overwhelming firepower swept through the scene, hitting the external soldiers, tearing them to pieces. Those hiding behind covers dared not expose themselves.

Meanwhile, the transport ship began to lift off, with the mooring anchors falling off one by one.

Reno stood at the hatch, shouting, "Tychus, come on!"

Tychus didn't move but intentionally paused the gunfire. When the enemy soldiers exposed themselves again, he resumed firing. Then, he dropped the Gatling gun and leaped into the ship, narrowly avoiding laser beams grazing his back.

Tychus rolled on the ship, stood up, and demanded, "Give me a gun!"

"Take care of yourself first," Reno closed the hatch. "Claire, attend to him."

"Right away!" Claire set down the half-treated Carmela and ran to Tychus. At the same time, she yelled, "Nora, put Carmela in the medical chamber; she'll make it."

"That's a relief," Nora sighed, carrying Carmela towards the medical chamber. Without Claire's swift treatment, Carmela might not have survived before reaching the medical chamber.

Comparatively, Tychus's injuries, though severe, were not fatal. He wasn't hit in vital spots but was scorched all over his body. Claire approached him and exclaimed, "Oh my God, you look like you've just been through a barbecue."

"Wanna taste how I've been roasted, sweetheart?" Tychus chuckled. His cheeky remark earned him a jab from Claire's hand into his wound, nearly causing him to recoil.

Claire smiled, "I'm Nora's sister; occasionally, I can be terrifying too. Don't provoke me."

"Okay, okay, my bad. Damn, Claire, your hand should be used for healing, not killing," Tychus shouted.

Claire withdrew her hand, gently placed it on Tychus's wound, and infused his body with a soothing, cool energy to begin repairing his damaged tissues.

Meanwhile, Reno sprinted to the command hall. "Get off the dock!"

"We're accelerating, energy levels rising, damn it, the startup speed of this old ship is so slow!" Modi complained loudly.

"Because you didn't open the condenser's brake valve," Reno spotted the issue at a glance, swiftly manipulated the console, and pressed a few buttons. "This old-style transport ship requires manual pressurization."

"Okay," Modi shrugged, stepping aside, "I'll handle the power compartment; that's where I'm familiar."

Just then, a sudden tremor reverberated through the ship.

The hull shook violently, startling everyone.

Reno was the first to react, "It's artillery fire. Nava, open the left port window!"

The left port window opened, revealing several heavy cannons being wheeled out on the dock, their muzzles slowly aligning with the transport ship.

"Damn it, they're bringing out heavy weaponry," Modi cursed. "Quick, activate the energy shield."

"No!" Reno shouted. "We can't activate the energy shield. Use all the energy for acceleration; we need to get out of here as soon as possible."

Activating the energy shield would further deplete the transport ship's energy, reducing engine power and preventing swift takeoff. Being pinned down at the dock would only lead to encirclement.

"What about those cannons?" Modi asked.

"We'll have to let the ship handle them," Reno replied.

Outside the port window, more and more heavy cannons appeared, taking turns bombarding the transport ship.

Although the transport ship was equipped with defensive armor, it was nowhere near as resilient as a main combat starship. Under the cluster bombardment of heavy cannons at close range, almost every attack hit the transport ship, further compromising its durability.

Reno's words turned everyone's faces pale.

"Use that," Nava said tremblingly.

"No, it's not time yet. The ants aren't all in position!" Reno replied, pausing before adding, "Even if they were, it wouldn't be very effective."

The ants were meant to disable the electronic systems on the ships, rendering them temporarily inoperable. However, they would have little impact on the attacking ground troops.

Upon hearing Reno's words, everyone's faces went pale simultaneously.

Just then, a voice echoed through everyone's terminals: "I'll take care of the cannon group."

It was Nora.

She had already settled Carmela.

Although Nora didn't elaborate, at that moment, Reno suddenly understood her intention.

"Then it's up to you."

"Don't worry," Nora replied, holding a heavy sniper rifle in her hand.

As she spoke, she approached a lift.

Entering the lift, Nora ascended to the deck.

The deck was currently illuminated by the flashes of bombing, with the cannon fire pocking the transport ship. The alloy armor occasionally collapsed under the bombardment, exposing vulnerable areas.

Nora swiftly navigated through the cannon fire, arriving beside a protruding signal tower. She raised the sniper rifle and aimed at a soldier operating one of the heavy cannons.

She fired.

The soldier's forehead blossomed with a spray of blood, and he fell.

One of the heavy cannons immediately fell silent.