Still in outer space above the moon, a half-shattered alien warship slowly descended, its broken edge continuously rotating with the vessel's tumble, pointing alternately towards the sky and the ground.
As the broken section turned towards the lunar surface, the falling enemy ship suddenly showed a noticeable pause. However, no flames were visible, only a faint distortion of light and shadow. Only when its direction shifted did the distorted light and shadow return to normal.
No one knew by what means the alien spacecraft propelled its warship; it was undoubtedly a propulsion technology far beyond human capabilities.
Witnessing this, Tang Haifeng's face changed: "Bay, switch to remote control mode, all personnel evacuate immediately!"
Upon receiving the order, the Bay immediately charged towards the enemy ship on the far side of the moon. Lifeboats filled with crew members ejected one after another.
Seeing this, Ou Zhanpeng's heart sank again.
He couldn't help but recall Luo Jintang's words before the battle: "The aliens' power is beyond imagination. In contrast, our fleet consists of only three hastily assembled warships, two of which are training vessels. Don't be fooled by the fact that the enemy ship is only half intact; it's still not easy to deal with!"
"Therefore, this operation has two objectives: to destroy the enemy ship if possible, and if not, at least to force it to land on the moon!"
No explanation was needed; everyone understood the stark difference between an enemy ship remaining in the air and landing on the ground.
It was like a fighter jet flying in the sky versus one grounded; the former was omnipotent, while the latter could only be battered!
The alien warship's power was beyond imagination, and it wouldn't be a pushover even after landing, but it was still better than dealing with it in orbit.
Yet, who would have thought that the makeshift fleet, after expending all its missiles, could only achieve this result?
Ou Zhanpeng was both angry and helpless. If the fleet had more nuclear missiles, even just one more, it might have changed the situation. However, due to historical, cost, technological, strategic, and international relations factors, only the Polar had one nuclear missile, and there was nowhere to find a second one.
The Five Continents and the Sea Frontier each had one as well, but both ships had already become space debris in geostationary orbit.
At this critical juncture, if the enemy ship regained altitude, all the fleet's efforts would be in vain.
Conversely, if the enemy ship was forced to land on the moon, its ability to fly again would be uncertain. Even if the enemy ship couldn't be dealt with in one go, it would at least buy humanity some precious time.
The Bay flew further and faster, but its altitude continuously decreased, always keeping its presence hidden by the horizon. A space-based, ultra-low-altitude penetration was unfolding.
The moon had no atmosphere; as long as sufficient speed was maintained, one could circle the moon indefinitely without the risk of falling.
No one knew if this would be effective, but as things stood, trying was better than giving up.
Furthermore, at Tang Haifeng's command, over forty space-air combat aircraft surged forward.
The ship-mounted missiles were depleted, but there were still some air-launched missiles. Missiles, after all, were still missiles. What if one of them was the straw that broke the camel's back?
It was no exaggeration to say that, apart from the last two warships, Tang Haifeng had committed everything. If even this failed, they could only cease operations and await support from Earth.
There were certainly no warships left; at most, they could send a batch of weapons, especially nuclear missiles.
However, space travel was a very rigorous science. Even if the ground could mobilize weapons and equipment at the fastest speed, load them onto spacecraft immediately, and prepare them for launch, they would still need to wait for a suitable launch window. After liftoff, they would have to traverse the 380,000-kilometer distance.
Even if everything went smoothly, it would take three to five days to reach the moon.
Ou Zhanpeng gritted his teeth in frustration. Wouldn't it have been better to wait a few days for the ground to send equipment before chasing the enemy ship?
In reality, he knew very well that waiting was impossible at the time, which led to the current outcome. But as he watched the Bay and the air group fly further and further away, his heart felt incredibly choked, a surge of anger he couldn't vent or suppress, unsure of how to release it.
As the fleet advanced, the two gouges the alien warship had created on the lunar surface came into view, stunning everyone. Two straight canyons, tens of kilometers long, appeared on the moon's surface. If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, no one would have believed that a single strike from an alien warship could be so powerful!
Ou Zhanpeng felt a surge of anxiety, worrying about the air group ahead.
A moment later, the air group first emerged from the horizon. The instant their radar locked onto the enemy ship, over forty aircraft fired all their missiles at maximum speed and immediately turned back.
Turning around was impossible; fighter jets were not missiles. Once they flew in the opposite direction, their relative speed with the moon would significantly decrease, resulting in an inability to maintain altitude and even the risk of crashing.
Ou Zhanpeng had mentally prepared himself to witness the complete annihilation of his forces, but a strange situation arose. The enemy ship showed no reaction, allowing the air group to fly away, as if it were too busy stabilizing its posture to concern itself with other matters.
Then, an even more unbelievable situation occurred. The missiles from the fighter jets met no obstruction, hitting the enemy ship's surface one after another. Flames erupted, and shrapnel flew everywhere.
Ou Zhanpeng was both surprised and delighted. Ling Xiao's eyes widened, and Tang Haifeng's heart raced. After all, a nuclear missile was humanity's ultimate weapon. Even an alien warship couldn't be completely unharmed, let alone just half of one!
Everyone's spirits soared, and all eyes focused on the Bay, which was about to emerge from the horizon.
Success or failure hinged on this moment!
Amidst everyone's anticipation, the Bay unleashed its full power, its thrusters operating at super-high output. It suddenly leaped from the horizon, like a lone warrior charging into the enemy ranks, launching a final assault on the enemy ship.
At this moment, from the moon to Earth, from the fleet to the ground command center, everyone's heart was in their mouths. Even other Blue Star companions were following this confrontation through various means.
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
The Bay encountered no interception and flew directly towards the enemy ship!
Tang Haifeng's eyes gleamed, and he immediately ordered the control personnel to raise their altitude, ensuring they hit the enemy ship from above.
The alien warship, which had been desperately stabilizing its posture, became motionless when its broken edge faced upwards. Instead, it activated its thrusters when the tail end was facing upwards, and under the combined effect of lunar gravity and its thrusters, it accelerated its descent towards the moon.
Success!
Ling Xiao was so delighted he couldn't close his mouth: "It's down, it's down! Ou Fei, did you see? It's down!"
"I saw it, I saw it!" Ou Zhanpeng clenched his fist fiercely, his excitement beyond words.
This landing had opened up the situation!
Tang Haifeng remained cautious, steeling his resolve: "Attention, the Bay must ram into it!"
In the final moments, he didn't want any surprises and couldn't give the enemy ship a chance to recover!
With an unyielding momentum, the Bay crashed fiercely into the top of the enemy ship. As it exploded, the enemy ship's descent speed increased further.