Arthur was stunned before he instinctively asked Peter, "Why does he keep repeating his number?"
"How the hell should I know?"
Peter Quill immediately connected to the comms, "We want to leave too, but which direction should we go?"
There was no response. Had 10086 been killed? Peter Quill and Arthur exchanged puzzled glances.
Arthur was getting frustrated. What the hell should they do? The vastness of space was too immense for even The Eye of Horus to scan the entire battlefield.
Without any knowledge of space warfare, the situation was extremely awkward.
Left with no other choice, Peter said, "Let's hope for the best. With my extensive piloting experience, as long as we get out of the battlefield range, they won't be able to catch up with us."
Arthur could only nod. In their current situation, staying here meant certain death.
The only one they could rely on was Peter Quill.
With their decision made, Peter Quill immediately changed course, seeking out less populated areas.
Surprisingly, this tactic actually allowed them to gradually distance themselves from the main battlefield.
But before they could celebrate, the comms crackled again. The presumed dead 10086 reappeared: "This is Communications Officer 10086. You are heading into a danger zone. Please turn back immediately! Repeat, this is Communications Officer 10086. Please turn back immediately!"
"Where's the danger?"
Peter looked at the empty expanse of space and cursed, "That guy must be a Kree spy!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the radar suddenly lit up with a mass of blips.
Immediately, a formation of diamond-shaped Spaceships charged toward them, and within an instant, their surroundings were covered in enemy fire!
A sudden change occurred. Arthur yelled angrily, "Damn it, it's a Kree stealth fighter squadron! Maybe we should be grateful we didn't collide directly with them!"
Peter hurriedly piloted the spaceship. Even with his exceptional skills, it was inevitable they took a couple of hits.
After a violent shake, the spaceship's damage report popped up.
Peter Quill tried to maneuver the spaceship out of the area but found that they were surrounded by enemy fighters, who were the primary targets of the barrage.
In this critical moment, a video communication alert appeared.
Arthur answered the comms and saw a person who looked like an Earthling appears on the screen. The person seemed surprised upon seeing Arthur: "You're darker than I imagined."
"…"
Arthur nearly vomited blood. At a time like this, the guy was making comments about his appearance.
Fortunately, the person quickly composed himself and said seriously, "I am Communications Officer 10086 of the Nova Empire's Seventh Defense Command. Your situation is extremely dangerous. According to the combat command center, your current position is a critical junction! Therefore, based on the Nova Empire's regulations, we need your consent to launch your most powerful attack according to the coordinates we provide within fifteen seconds. If the attack is successful, you can then quickly escape the battlefield along your current route. Repeat… This is…"
"Just give me the fucking coordinates!"
Arthur didn't want to hear any more repetition. The weapon systems were already primed, but he didn't know where to fire.
In interstellar warfare, being part of it was far from the leisurely experience of 'the little bee'; if you fired randomly, the surrounding stealth fighters would teach you a harsh lesson!
Without hesitation, the other side provided the coordinates.
Arthur locked onto the coordinates, and Peter Quill, having heard the communication, adjusted the spaceship to the appropriate angle.
Counting down!
3, 2, 1…
Arthur slammed the attack button, wishing he could use all his energy on this.
The ammunition was unleashed in an instant, all directed at the locked coordinates.
To the naked eye, there was nothing visible at the target location, and even the radar showed no information.
However, when the ammunition hit the designated spot, ripples appeared, revealing a stealth spaceship being struck.
The spaceship, unlike the surrounding ones, looked far more menacing and fierce. Now it was burning and eventually turned into cosmic dust…
"Let's go!"
Seeing that the attack was effective, Arthur shouted.
By this time, Peter had already pushed the ship's power to the maximum. With a roar, the spaceship soared over the debris and sped off into the distance.
—
Just after leaving the battlefield, a video communication request came through.
Arthur answered, and saw the previously seen 10086 looking thrilled and saying, "Fantastic! You're practically our hero! You would never have guessed what you've taken down…"
"Hero my ass! We're just here to get some money!!!"
Arthur, breathing heavily, was nearly infuriated by this comment. Without waiting for the message to continue, he abruptly ended the communication.
"The nearest jump point is still three hours away!"
Peter Quill glanced back at the battlefield, which was still ablaze: "That ship was a birthday gift from Yondu."
Arthur fell silent, wanting to offer some words of comfort but unsure what to say.
Peter Quill then said, "Great, I'm finally rid of Yondu's shadow. You know, he had some tracking devices installed on that spaceship. I was planning to sell it and get a new one anyway. This works out perfectly!"
Arthur was relieved he hadn't said anything comforting. He rolled his eyes and stood up, saying, "I need to rest a bit. I'm feeling a bit off."
He rubbed his forehead, and as the tension eased, he began to feel mental fatigue.
"Of course!" Peter Quill replied. "Rest up. Once we jump through the wormhole, I've got a big surprise for you."
Arthur nodded, feeling increasingly exhausted.
It was an unprecedented phenomenon for him. Not knowing what was causing it, he opened the lower deck door, finding it was indeed a resting area.
It looked even larger and more comfortable than the previous ship.
He approached the bed, and without even removing his mask, he collapsed onto it and fell asleep.
—
Arthur was awakened by the pounding beat of dance music. Groggily opening his eyes, he reached up to rub his face, only to find his mask…
A tap on the ear and the mask retracted.
Arthur rubbed his face in satisfaction and saw Peter Quill dancing awkwardly, his mouth twitching: "Did we cross the Jump point?"
"Not yet, but I've set the coordinates," Peter Quill replied, checking the time. "We're about half an hour away!"
Arthur nodded and sat up, "So I've been asleep for over two hours?"
"Yes, buddy!"
Peter Quill, still dancing, moved to a corner of the rest area and brought over a seemingly heavy metal device, placing it on the floor. "So, what do you think of the big surprise?"
Arthur blinked, "What's this?"