Chapter 32: Discovering the Lizard Claw Beasts

"Hmph!"

"Sending two rookies to handle orbital escort duty?"

"What was Rofei thinking?"

"If nothing happens, fine. But if something does, these two greenhorns might lose the transport ship altogether."

Inside the control center of the civilian transport vessel, three figures—two men and a woman in crisp uniforms—stood before a massive screen. Rows of analysts behind them monitored orbital data with painstaking precision.

The leader, Zhang Lian, captain of the transport vessel and a senior executive of Feiying Corporation, was glaring at the personnel roster displayed on the screen. It showcased the details of all escort personnel assigned to the mission.

Six profiles were neatly listed:

Chen Wuling, 26 years old, with Feiying for just under 18 months, ID: 28;

Liu Xuesong, 29 years old, four years of service, ID: 11;

Qiao Dazhi, 30 years old, four years of service, ID: 12;

Lu Gui, 35 years old, eight years of service, ID: 3;

Tian Xiao, 24 years old, with Feiying for just over a month, ID: 37;

Zhu Xiaotian, 24 years old, with Feiying for just over a month, ID: 38.

The records were… unimpressive.

To Zhang Lian, only Liu Xuesong and Qiao Dazhi seemed remotely qualified. The rest? Incompetent or inexperienced. This slapdash team reeked of desperation.

"This Rofei… if he keeps this up, Wu Hao will have him ousted sooner or later," Zhang muttered.

Unbeknownst to him, Rofei had recently received commendation for his work from higher-ups.

The two vice-captains standing nearby exchanged knowing smiles. One was responsible for security, the other for logistics.

"Captain, Rofei isn't that careless. Having his trusted Chen Wuling lead the team shows he's taking this escort mission seriously. There won't be any mishaps. Besides, this sector isn't near the frontlines, and any threats were cleared out years ago," the logistics officer said reassuringly.

"Exactly. Captain, worry less—your gray hairs are starting to show," the security officer teased.

Zhang Lian snorted but refrained from commenting further.

The group turned back to observe the operation. Two Azure Bird-class escort ships were guiding a transport vessel through the atmosphere. Base personnel had already prepared the cargo, massive tracks ferrying meticulously packed raw materials into the transport craft.

After three trips, only a fraction of the cargo had been loaded. Several hours into the operation, fatigue began to set in.

Inside one of the escort ships, Chen Wuling yawned and rubbed his eyes. Glancing at Tian Xiao, he advised, "Escort duty is all about repetition and tedium. When you're running low on energy, have a drink to perk up."

With that, he produced a bottle of strong liquor, took a quick swig, and capped it tightly. Tian Xiao, munching on a nutrition bar, didn't comment.

Just as the fifth transport craft prepared to return to the mothership, Tian Xiao noticed something unusual. His drones, stationed on nearby asteroids, had simultaneously locked onto a large rock.

This asteroid, initially drifting sluggishly, began rolling unpredictably. While such deviations were common, what caught the drones' attention was something far more sinister: a lizard claw beast. The creature leapt deftly to another asteroid, vanishing into its shadowed side.

Moments later, more emerged.

One by one, over a dozen of the beasts crawled out of crevices in the asteroid, their movements eerily silent. They positioned themselves strategically, forming a deadly ambush along the transport vessel's return route.

Unbeknownst to the creatures, every move was captured by Tian Xiao's drones and transmitted to his ship's central AI, Qinglong.

"Lizard claw beasts detected! Initiating secondary alert protocol," Qinglong announced, bathing the cockpit in red warning lights.

Tian Xiao snapped to full attention. The adrenal surge erased any hint of fatigue.

"Finally," he thought with a hint of excitement. The pancreas glands from their last haul of lizard claw beasts had run out. Fresh specimens meant a profitable payday.

He immediately forwarded the data to Chen Wuling.

"D*mn it!" Chen Wuling cursed, his voice equal parts irritation and admiration. "You lucky b*st*rd… you almost walked us into a trap."

"Do we handle this ourselves," Tian Xiao asked, "or call in reinforcements from the transport ship and offer them a cut?"

Chen Wuling scoffed. "Reinforcements? From them? The people on that ship haven't even acknowledged us. They're not getting a piece of this action."

Tian Xiao smirked. "Fine by me. Left flank or right?"

"Left. Keep a safe distance," Chen Wuling instructed.

With a mutual signal, the two pilots veered off their designated course.

Chaos Unfolds

Aboard the transport vessel, the abrupt maneuver triggered alarms. Zhang Lian and his officers, sipping coffee moments earlier, were now on high alert.

"What's going on?" Zhang demanded, his face darkening.

The sudden deviation of the Azure Birds, coupled with their activated fire control systems, sent shockwaves through the command center. Without prior communication or data from the escorts, the transport's crew was effectively blind to the unfolding events.

"Check the logs!" Zhang barked.

By the time the staff pieced together an explanation, the situation had already resolved itself.

"It was lizard claw beasts, Captain. A hidden cluster evaded our detection. But the escort team eliminated them before they could engage."

"What?" Zhang's disbelief was palpable.

"All twelve beasts were neutralized by IDs 28 and 37. The team has already resumed their positions."

Onscreen, the two Azure Birds glided back into formation as if nothing had happened, their sleek frames unmarred by the brief but intense skirmish. The command center erupted into murmurs of astonishment.

Zhang Lian stared at the display, his expression a storm of conflicting emotions. Eventually, he turned to his subordinates.

"Make a note of this incident. And next time… maybe we shouldn't underestimate Rofei's judgment."

In their respective cockpits, Tian Xiao and Chen Wuling exchanged triumphant grins. The adrenaline rush subsiding, they quietly congratulated themselves on a job well done.

"Next round of drinks is on you," Chen Wuling quipped.

"Fine by me," Tian Xiao replied.

The transport ship's cargo bay continued its work, oblivious to the drama that had just unfolded. For the escort pilots, though, it was just another day on the job—and another story to tell.