Ratatatatata…
The Bluebird's hull crumbled under the heavy machine gun fire, unable to withstand the relentless assault. Bullets pelted the exterior like a torrential downpour, causing sparks to fly inside the cockpit as alarms blared incessantly.
Ryan was suddenly under attack, with Astra's urgent warnings and feedback echoing in his ears:
"Hull integrity down by 27%.""Multi-functional arm damaged.""Computational capacity reduced by 21%!""Energy storage slightly damaged.""Hull hit again, damage now at 33%!""Recommend abandoning ship!""Risk of fire in the energy storage.""Cannon grenade storage exposed, risk of explosion!""Engine malfunction!""Computational capacity reduced by 44%!""Strongly recommend abandoning ship!"
Ryan felt a surge of anger but knew the Bluebird's defenses were inadequate. With the engine barely able to ensure lift-off and evade fire, abandoning the Bluebird seemed the only option.
"Astra!" Ryan gritted his teeth and ordered, "Open the hatch!"
There were two ways to abandon ship: opening the hatch on land and walking out, or ejecting from the cockpit. Ejecting while the modified Bluebird closed in was akin to making himself a sitting duck.
Click! The hatch opened with a snap.
Ryan swiftly exited the Bluebird, rolling to take cover behind a nearby boulder. The terrain around the crater was complex, offering ample cover.
But Ryan knew he wasn't safe yet. The modified Bluebird's fire continued to rain down on him, and the Bluebird's damage was worsening, threatening to explode at any moment.
Several mining drones were also caught in the crossfire, spiraling down in flames.
Ryan cocked his rifle and disengaged the safety. He had only brought an assault rifle with him. While it could pierce the Bluebird's hull, its firepower was relatively weak against the modified Bluebird.
Still, the rifle gave him some sense of security. He needed to buy time until the security team could arrive.
Ryan darted between cover, agilely dodging shrapnel. Suddenly, a loud explosion tore through the sky as David's Bluebird turned into a fireball. Fortunately, David had ejected in time, though he broke his leg upon landing. He grimaced in pain, pale-faced, and called out to Ryan:
"Ryan, are you okay?!"
"I'm fine," Ryan replied, his eyes sharp and determined. He was quickly moving towards two other Bluebirds nearby.
These two modified Bluebirds were unusually aggressive, focusing all their fire on him while ignoring Iron Bear and Karim's Bluebirds. This blatant favoritism made Ryan suspect collusion.
"David!" Ryan shouted, "Relay my situation to the control center. Have the boss remotely controll Iron Bear and Karim's Bluebirds."
"You mean… Got it! Be careful! They're traitors and won't let you regain control easily." David quickly understood Ryan's plan.
Ryan was closest to Iron Bear's Bluebird, less than 200 meters away. He sprinted at full speed, his H9-enhanced physique making him as swift as a cheetah on the prowl, rapidly closing the distance.
Carlos, not to be outdone, took control of Bluebird 15 after David's alert. As the Bluebird descended and the hatch opened, Ryan was almost there.
However, Iron Bear realized someone was trying to seize the ship. As the Bluebird began to move autonomously, Iron Bear stood up, his massive frame blocking the hatch, glaring down at the approaching Ryan with a look of hatred and madness.
But in the next moment, Iron Bear's expression changed. He saw Ryan's assault rifle lift slightly, and his chip assistant screamed warnings:
Warning!
Warning!
Iron Bear felt a chill but didn't back down. He was betting that the rookie wouldn't dare shoot him.
Rat-a-tat-tat!!
Gunfire erupted from the assault rifle, two bullets striking Iron Bear's knees with precision, blood spraying. Iron Bear's legs buckled, and he tumbled out of the hatch.
Ryan didn't hesitate, stepping over Iron Bear's body and leaping into the cockpit.
"Astra!" he commanded loudly, "Take control of Unit 15! Close the hatch!"
Ryan swiftly and expertly completed the takeover.
The modified Bluebirds, unaware of the change in Unit 15, continued their heavy fire. Bluebird 37, abandoned by fate, succumbed to a deafening explosion, turning into a fireball and painting the sky red, the threat neutralized.
However, the two modified Bluebirds seemed oblivious to their comrade's fall. They swooped over the crater like harbingers of doom, mercilessly attacking the ascending mining drones. Their pilots laughed and shouted maniacally, voices filled with vengeful fervor, echoing over the desolate crater.
"Haha… For the Galactic Tempest Syndicate! For the commander! For revenge!! TerraNova scum must die! Die!!!"
The modified Bluebirds, like grim reapers, unleashed hellfire, relentlessly targeting the mining drones and dragging them into the abyss of destruction with each explosion.
The base's control tower was in chaos, alarms, screams, and orders blending into a cacophony. Faces turned pale with fear and uncertainty. The control center's tension was palpable as Torres watched Iron Bear fall, his hands trembling uncontrollably, a storm of emotions brewing within him.
Then he saw Unit 15's Bluebird, under Ryan's control, take off again, its powerful blue flames propelling it towards the two modified Bluebirds. Torres's gaze darkened. He hadn't expected a rookie to seize control so quickly, a feat even seasoned security personnel struggled with.
Unit 15 approached from behind, launching a fierce attack on one of the modified Bluebirds. Four streams of fire cut through the sky like angry serpents, forcing the modified Bluebird into high-intensity evasive maneuvers, rolling and spinning to escape.
As the modified Bluebird realized Unit 15 was an enemy, preparing to counterattack, two cannon shells exploded nearby, showering it with shrapnel and causing significant damage. The hull trembled under the impact, sparks flying.
Rat-a-tat-tat!!
Unit 15's fire rained down again, hitting the target with deadly accuracy, each bullet a call from the grim reaper, mercilessly claiming the enemy's life.
Bang!! The modified Bluebird's hull smoked and lost control, plummeting like a wounded giant bird, tracing a sinister arc in the sky.
Torres's eyes widened in disbelief as he watched the monitor. A rookie, facing two seasoned space pirates, had managed to take down one!
"Nice!" Carlos cheered loudly in the control room, his eyes shining with excitement, his voice brimming with uncontainable enthusiasm.
With one modified Bluebird down, the tide seemed to turn. However, Carlos quickly realized a serious problem: if both space pirates died, how would they prove Torres's treachery?
At that moment, Ryan's calm, low voice came through Unit 15's communicator: "Greetings from Leader Torres. Thank you for everything you've done for him. Now you can die." With that, Unit 15 unleashed a series of precise shots, two grenades slicing through the air like the scythe of death, riddling the second modified Bluebird's hull with holes, leaving it teetering on the brink.
Inside the modified Bluebird, the space pirate's roar was filled with hysteria: "Torres, you bastard! I helped you out! You dare stab me in the back! The Galactic Tempest Syndicate was destroyed because of you!!"
In the control center, Torres's face turned ashen, cold sweat pouring down. Fear and anxiety gripped him as he realized his betrayal was fully exposed, and Ryan's actions were the ultimate rebuke and punishment.