For the two pilots operating the Bluebird, eliminating the Lacertoclaweus hiding behind the meteors from a distance was not difficult. The drones silently took advantageous positions, helping them lock onto their targets. Using the ship's cannons, the meteors shattered into pieces, and lines of fire swept through like raindrops. With the high-speed calculations of the chips, every action was perfectly coordinated. The twelve Lacertoclaweus were swiftly dealt with. Ryan also cleverly retrieved the bodies of the Lacertoclaweus he had hit.
The Bluebird returned to the formation smoothly. The three high-ranking officials on the supply transport ship, along with the surrounding staff, were stunned into silence. What just happened? Was it over already? The ship fell into a quiet hush as the formation resumed its journey.
Captain Vicente Rojo Lluch hesitated for a moment before deciding to contact the captains of the two Bluebirds: "Number 28, this is TerraNova Supply Ship 3. I am Captain Vicente Rojo Lluch."
"Hello, Captain. This is Number 28, Maughan."
"Your performance just now was outstanding."
"Escorting the transport shuttles is my duty," Maughan responded formally, but with a hint of pride.
Captain Vicente Rojo Lluch leaned forward, curiosity evident in his eyes. "I'm curious, how did you discover those Lacertoclaweus?"
"The drones did the job, Captain," Maughan replied with a nod.
"Drones," Vicente Rojo Lluch murmured, realization dawning on his face. The other staff members exchanged knowing glances.
"Note that down," Vicente Rojo Lluch instructed his subordinates. Turning back to Maughan, he added, "Very well. You demonstrated high alertness and decisive action, effectively protecting the transport shuttles. I will personally commend you. Keep up the humility and continue your efforts. Additionally, the ammunition you used must be replenished. Upon returning to the transport ship, I will arrange for the logistics personnel to prepare the necessary supplies for you."
"Received, thank you, Captain."
The communication ended. The two then guided the transport shuttles into the spacious interior of TerraNova Ship 3. As a ship primarily used for transport, most of Ship 3's space was designed for storage, accommodating various resources. All the raw minerals transported in were properly stored in standardized storage compartments.
The Bluebird, guided by the staff, docked to the side and quickly completed the ammunition replenishment. At this moment, a person who appeared to be a supervisor approached with a smile: "Haha… Maughan."
Maughan quickly stepped forward to greet him, and they shook hands in greeting: "Long time no see."
"It has been a while. I heard you just gave us a surprise by dealing with twelve Lacertoclaweus. Don't bother taking those bodies back and dirtying the place. I would like to give you fifty thousand for each body and take them all."
Ryan also recognized the person. He was a logistics staff member on TerraNova Ship 3, who had been a junior employee before being promoted to team leader. Ryan didn't intervene, standing with a smile behind Maughan. Clearly, this supervisor was after the Lacertoclaweus bodies. On the front lines, Lacertoclaweus bodies weren't worth much, but once transported to the rear, whether as food or turned into art pieces, each Lacertoclaweus could sell for at least three hundred thousand.
That was a considerable profit!
"Fifty thousand? That's too low."
"One hundred thousand each, and I'll make the decision," Maughan began to haggle.
Team Leader Anderson seemed a bit stingy: "You didn't bring back a lot of the meat, which isn't fair to me. How about this, we'll count it as ten… I'll round it up to a million dollars."
"A million it is, but you have to give us an extra ten cases of liquor," Maughan continued to negotiate for more benefits.
After some discussion, they finally settled on a price of one million, plus ten cases of liquor, for the twelve Lacertoclaweus bodies. Ryan didn't intervene. After all, he had already had Astra extract all the pancreases and stored them separately. Knowing when to stop was his principle.
Ryan surveyed the interior of TerraNova Ship 3 as Maughan completed the transaction with Team Leader Anderson. The two then boarded the aircraft and continued their mission. In the subsequent tasks, whether it was the transport shuttles or the staff on the transport ship, communication became noticeably more frequent, and everyone occasionally exchanged a few pleasant words. Clearly, Maughan and Ryan's high efficiency and decisiveness in the aerial battle had earned their respect.
In any place, people are accustomed to smiling at the strong and valuable individuals. This place was no exception.
Back at the base, Carlos and Torres also received communication from Captain Vicente Rojo Lluch of the supply transport ship, learning that Maughan and Ryan had earned honors for the base security team. Carlos was in high spirits: "Hahaha… These two guys made over two million from the meteor incident and another fifty thousand from this escort mission. It's hard not to be envious."
Torres's smile was somewhat stiff. As the deputy team leader of the security team, he felt both envious and a bit jealous of Maughan and Ryan's success. Since the sale of the Lacertoclaweus, the subsequent escort missions had been unusually calm. After two days and nights of intense loading, the supply transport ship was finally fully loaded and ready to depart.
According to regulations, Carlos and Torres needed to personally lead the team to escort TerraNova Ship 3 to the nearest jump point. As they were about to leave the base, an urgent communication from TerraNova headquarters reached Carlos. Carlos opened the letter, and his face instantly turned grim. TerraNova's upper management ordered that considering the possibility of Lacertoclaweus still lurking at the base, the security team's leader and deputy leader must not leave simultaneously. Therefore, the company's security department decided that Torres would stay at the base to ensure its safety, while Carlos would proceed as planned to escort TerraNova Ship 3 to the jump point.
Carlos turned and gave Torres a cold look. He knew this must be Torres's doing behind the scenes! Torres remained calm, taking a step back and saying, "I also received the temporary decision from headquarters. I won't participate in this escort mission. I wish the team leader a safe journey."
Carlos stood there, staring at Torres with a grim expression for a while, then said in a deep voice, "In that case, I'll trouble the deputy leader to stay at the base. As for the escort mission, I decide to have Maughan's team participate. I hope everything will be as usual when I return."
Torres was slightly taken aback. "The escort team members have already been decided. However, Maughan's squad includes two rookies and one member whose performance has significantly declined. I'm concerned they might not be up to the task for this mission."
"Since headquarters has temporarily decided to remove a key member," Carlos raised his voice, "I, as the security team leader, naturally have the right to adjust the personnel to ensure the escort team's combat strength. I am confident in this authority."
Carlos continued, "As for the escort personnel, I believe the captain of TerraNova Ship 3 will have no objections. After all, Maughan's team just achieved great success, and their strength has been proven."
Torres was left speechless, his facial muscles twitching slightly. He had hoped to use the opportunity of staying behind to deal with Maughan and the newcomers who had recently joined Carlos. However, Carlos was taking both of them away. This rendered his staying behind meaningless.
If he continues to target Carlos's team members, it won't just fail to seriously harm Carlos; it could lead to a complete fallout between their teams. Such insubordination, even with someone backing him at headquarters, would be hard to justify.