Two hundred meters away, half a minute was all it took to get there.
"Guys, no bugs outside, come on out."
Reza tapped on the hatch, calling out to the people inside the Fat Coal through the communicator.
"Click..."
The hatch system of the Fat Coal seemed a bit faulty, stuttering open and taking a whole five seconds just to open.
Six survivors, all dressed in space armor and protective suits, came out.
"Thank heavens, rescue has finally arrived!"
"I knew it, the Federation wouldn't abandon us!"
"God! You actually found this place! I thought we were goners for sure!"
Seeing the fully armed seven-person squad, the survivors were ecstatic, hugging and cheering each other.
"Gentlemen, please, quiet down."
Zhou Yuan didn't give them too much time to celebrate, calling out in a calm voice.
Folks, it wasn't the Federation that saved you, but me, Captain Zhou!
"Sir..."
"Much appreciated!"
With Zhou Yuan's call, the six survivors immediately quieted down. It was then they noticed that Zhou Yuan was wearing a mech. However, seeing that Zhou Yuan was a captain and the leader of this small team, they didn't dare to speak and stood quietly in place.
"What did you encounter?"
Zhou Yuan's gaze swept across the group of survivors, finally landing on the pilot.
The pilot was a lieutenant, the highest-ranking among the survivors.
The pilot sighed heavily and said, "Sir, this asteroid we're standing on appeared seven days ago, drawn in by the gravitational field of the Fudes star."
"Seven days ago, after completing a scouting mission, we were heading back to the mining area when we discovered this big fellow that had just joined the asteroid belt."
"I wanted to see if it was a mineable asteroid, but as soon as we got close, we were hit by strong magnetic interference, all systems failed, and we had no choice but to make an emergency landing."
"As it turns out, this big guy is indeed a mineable asteroid, and it even contains strong magnetic minerals. I shouldn't have been so nosy."
The more the pilot spoke, the quieter his voice became, eventually making a self-deprecating joke.
"What happened after the emergency landing?"
Zhou Yuan frowned, his mind racing with thoughts, then continued to ask.
If this asteroid contained strong magnetic minerals, then his previous plan would have to be scrapped and started over.
Because the fortress's tracking and communication would struggle to penetrate the strong magnetic field, finding them directly was unlikely. The Fat Coal was lost in this way.
Perhaps, they would have to rely on their semi-destroyed transport ship.
"Our emergency landing was relatively smooth. Although the systems failed, we could still glide, avoiding a direct crash."
"However, our landing was discovered by the bugs, and they found us."
"In the ensuing battle, eleven people were sacrificed, and even the transport ship was scraped into junk, completely losing the possibility of leaving this place."
The pilot briefly described the emergency landing process of the Fat Coal.
"I understand."
"Tell them the situation, get it done in five minutes."
Zhou Yuan nodded, instructing his team members to inform the survivors from the Fat Coal of their current situation.
... ...
Ten minutes later, the thirteen-member team was ready and began their journey back the way they came. During those ten minutes, Zhou Yuan had thoroughly dismantled the Fat Coal transport, taking apart everything that might be of use or needed by Claire. He made sure to take everything that could be used or carried, not wanting to leave anything behind that would necessitate another trip. Not only did he dismantle components of the transport ship, but he also didn't overlook the space armaments and weapons. If there was a complete set, he took it; if not, he dismantled it for parts. After all, they might need to hold out on this asteroid for a considerable time.
Thus, on their return journey, everyone except Zhou Yuan was laden down like mules. They carried protective cases in their hands, had protective ropes tied around their waists, and dragged skins from the transport ship loaded with parts and military equipment. The trip that had taken them less than an hour now looked to take at least two.
"Sir, insectoid swarm detected," came a report after a while.
"A kilometer ahead on your left, approximately a thousand in number. They're coming from the direction of the ice mountains."
Zhou Yuan looked towards the icy mountain ranges, which were covered in a blanket of white that cascaded down layer by layer, with real-time color changes occurring. It was likely an avalanche or landslide that had startled the insects in that area.
However, Zhou Yuan wasn't too worried. For a small team of thirteen, facing a thousand insectoids without any defensive terrain advantage would indeed be dangerous, almost akin to facing an insect tide. But today was different because he wasn't just wearing any space armor; he was in a mech suit.
Equipped with a rifle that fired C4 electromagnetic bullets, bio-grenades and fragmentation grenades designed to kill insectoids, and shockwave grenades for area damage, not to mention shoulder-mounted Gatling guns, tactical nuclear missiles, and mini self-destruct drones, Zhou Yuan was a one-man army. He could single-handedly eliminate the thousand insectoids without breaking a sweat.
Ten minutes later, the team encountered the insectoid swarm, which blocked their path back. Zhou Yuan had no intention of detouring. Soon after spotting the insectoid swarm, the creatures also noticed the team, and both parties collided at the edge of the ice spike forest.
"Same as usual, let them come closer before we engage," Zhou Yuan said with a raised fist, signaling his team to halt. His tone was light and joking, "I bet you're curious about the firepower of a mech. You'll see soon enough."
Hearing Zhou Yuan's words, the team, initially a bit nervous at the prospect of facing over a thousand insectoids, felt their confidence surge. That's right, they had a mech! Even without considering the mech's firepower, they had ten tactical nuclear bombs among them, making the insectoid swarm seem trivial in comparison.
"Fire!" Zhou Yuan finally ordered as the insectoid swarm entered a hundred-meter radius in front of them.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" With the order, Zhou Yuan showcased the firepower of his mech. Holding a Gauss gun, he continuously fired C4 electromagnetic bullets. Meanwhile, the shoulder-mounted Gatling gun targeted the densest part of the swarm, spewing blue flames.
The front ranks of the insectoid swarm were immediately decimated. Insectoids exploded one after another, staining the snowy ground with splashes of color.
But this was just the beginning. The armor on his chest flipped open, revealing two rows of mini grenade launchers loaded with ten bio-grenades each, firing simultaneously. The short distance of a hundred meters was covered instantly.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The bio-grenades exploded simultaneously, releasing vast clouds of dark green mist that rapidly spread outwards, completely covering the view and engulfing the insectoid swarm.