The shouts stopped, but it was too late. The soldiers' fingers were all on the triggers, and with just one command, they could turn the giant species into sieves.
But no one could guarantee the assistant's safety, so they could only watch as the giant species swaggered back.
The hatch opened and closed again. In that brief moment, Ou Zhanpeng happened to see two busy giant species.
The radio was silent. Every soldier's chest was like a volcano about to erupt.
Ou Zhanpeng grabbed Xie Yu and, with their heads together, turned off the radio. "Captain Xie, we must retake the power cabin immediately, or the consequences will be dire!"
In the post-battle analysis, everyone unanimously agreed that the direct reason the assault team managed to capture the crippled ship was the enemy's insufficient power. If the enemy repaired the power core and all the facilities inside and outside the ship became operational again, not only the assault team members inside the ship and the research personnel outside the ship would be in peril, but the warships in the sky could also be shot down by the enemy ship.
Launching an attack immediately, perhaps they could still catch them before...
Xie Yu's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot. "I know!"
He desperately wanted to give the order to attack, but the power core was of paramount importance, even concerning what kind of heart future human warships would use. It was not something he, a mere captain, could decide.
With no time to hesitate, Xie Yu immediately got through to the Polar Star: "Command, this is Xie Yu. The enemy has occupied the power cabin and is repairing the power core. We are ready for a full assault!"
He didn't mention the hostages, not wanting to add another brick to their hesitation. He was mentally prepared to take responsibility.
The orbital assault team was the strongest ground force, and assault team members feared no battle. However, rescuing hostages was not the military's scope of work; they were truly not good at it. If the command suddenly went crazy and issued an order to ensure the safety of the hostages, the battle would be impossible to fight.
It wasn't that Xie Yu didn't care about the hostages' safety, but the consequences of the crippled ship falling into enemy hands were too severe. Under such circumstances, the hostages' safety could only be placed second.
Even third or fourth.
Upon receiving the urgent report from the lunar surface, Tang Haifeng's head buzzed. However, he was also someone who knew the gravity of the situation. After a moment's thought, he made up his mind: "Order the troops to stop the enemy at all costs. We can do without the equipment, but we must ensure the safety of the warships!"
"Yes!"
"Where are our warships? How much longer until we reach Landing Mountain?"
"We are ready for air deployment. We will arrive at the drop point in twenty minutes."
"Order all ships to air-drop immediately upon arrival at their positions. No need to seek further instructions."
"Yes!"
Lunar surface.
Xie Yu, having received the order, let out a long sigh. "All personnel, prepare for a full assault!" After a moment's thought, he added: "First and second squads, frontal assault. Ou Zhanpeng, the right flank is yours, with third squad providing cover. Fourth and fifth squads on standby. Pay attention to IFF!"
Having said that, he brought up the schematic of the power cabin and marked the most likely locations where hostages might be held.
Researchers all wore standard EVA suits. When friendly equipment detected the identification signal emitted by the target, the firing mechanism would automatically lock.
However, IFF could prevent direct fire but not ricochets, and the hostages remained extremely dangerous.
There was no other way; Xie Yu could not guarantee the hostages' safety.
He knew this was unfair to the hostages, but he was even more unwilling to exchange the soldiers' lives for hostages. This was the limit of what he could do.
The soldiers immediately moved out. The demolition team, at the fastest speed, affixed explosives to the cabin door and side wall. "Demolition ready!"
"First squad ready!"
"Second squad ready!"
"Third squad ready!"
"Machine guns ready!"
"Begin!"
Boom! The explosives on both sides detonated simultaneously, blowing open the cabin door and side wall.
Before the shockwave had even dissipated, several smoke grenades were thrown at their feet.
Ou Zhanpeng's vision cut through the opened cabin wall. His machine gun roared, and with a long burst, over a dozen bullets flew into the power cabin, taking down two giant species.
As the smoke grenades landed, they released thick gray smoke, which immediately filled the area, obscuring the assault team members.
In fact, flashbangs would have been more suitable, but the military did not equip them at all. They couldn't possibly send them from the ground to the moon now, could they? They could only use smoke grenades to gain a slight advantage.
Ou Zhanpeng relied entirely on the memory from his previous glance, firing several short bursts. He didn't know if he had hit anything.
The alien species inside the cabin were stunned by this turn of events. The giant species in the cabin immediately dropped the parts they were holding and began firing at the two openings.
The mechs carrying the brain-fish consumed and drank as if they were groaning engines.
Under his relentless command, the giant species split into two groups. Half continued to block the breaches, while the other half accelerated their efforts to repair the power core.
At this moment, a few inconspicuous insect drones crawled out of the smoke, transmitting the situation inside the power cabin to the soldiers.
Ou Zhanpeng seemed divinely guided. Every shot he fired took down a giant species.
The other team members also seemed to be on cheat codes, their shots always hitting their targets. Bullet fire crisscrossed the power cabin.
The aliens were not to be trifled with either. They opened fire fiercely on the areas where the smoke was thickest. Occasional pained grunts of being hit were heard over the radio.
The battle had already reached its climax from the moment it began.
Ou Zhanpeng's large-caliber machine gun was the strongest firepower support for the human side. Any enemy that appeared in his line of sight could not escape the fierce suppression of the machine gun.
After clearing his line of sight, he turned his attention to other giant species and unhesitatingly fired at the cabin wall. The penetration of the bullets through the cabin wall was no longer accurate, but with sheer numbers, a few of them would inevitably hit the target.
Ou Zhanpeng's outstanding performance also attracted the attention of the aliens. A group of giant species immediately concentrated their fire in his direction.
"Cover the machine gun!" the third squad leader roared, being the first to shield Ou Zhanpeng. In an instant, seven or eight bloody holes appeared on his body.
"Squad leader—" two soldiers rushed forward, only to be immediately turned into bloody gourds by the enemy's firepower.
How could flesh and blood withstand the enemy's firepower? If it weren't for the power armor blocking most of the impact, the two would likely have been sacrificed.
Ou Zhanpeng's heart was about to explode. He could no longer see any standing giant species in his vision.
A soldier grabbed a cabin panel that had fallen from somewhere and held it up like a shield in front of others. The thick panel clattered loudly as it was hit by dozens of rounds in an instant.
But it managed to block the enemy's fire.
"Fourth squad, support the flank, quickly!" Xie Yu's voice echoed over the radio.
The situation on the front lines was not much better. The situation took a sharp turn for the worse, and several soldiers had already been injured.
They couldn't wait any longer!
Ou Zhanpeng's gaze sharpened, and it fell upon the power core.
Attack where they must defend, and attack where they must save. You aliens want to repair it? I'll let you repair it!
The gunshots rang out. All the bullets landed on the power core, crackling and sparking, with ricochets flying everywhere.