The battle outside continued raging, with both sides suffering losses exceeding 30%. The Great Tang's forces were particularly hard hit, with fewer than fifty of their initial hundred-plus spore-class battleships remaining.
Even the Eternal Storm-class warship where Chai Yue was located was smoking from multiple hits.
Moreover, the Celestial Coins stored in their energy reserves were almost depleted.
Wang Xuance, sweating profusely, barked questions at those around him. "Where is Ge Luoyang? That son of a bitch better get here soon, or he might as well not come at all!"
The soldier beside him offered a grim, silent reply, but even without words, Wang Xuance knew the answer. Distance was a factor, and no amount of urgency could change it. Even though the Eternal Storm-class warships, optimized by Xi Tong, could reach ninety-nine percent of light speed, traveling the distance between Earth and Mars would still take at least five hours.
If they waited, their Celestial Coins would likely run out before any reinforcements arrived!
News of the energy crisis quickly reached Chai Yue. Gazing at the remaining enemy ships, she paced the cabin, her mind wrestling with indecision. The disparity in strength between the two sides had become even more pronounced as the battle wore on.
Initially, the enemy had three Dreadnought-class ships and nearly five hundred Warrior-class ships. The Great Tang, on the other hand, had only one Eternal Storm-class warship and a hundred spore-class battleships. Despite the soldiers' improved ship handling skills, honed by Bai Yuzhi's training, they still struggled to overcome the numerical disadvantage. It was only because the enemy was hesitant to commit fully, allowing her to seize opportunities, that they hadn't been annihilated already.
Now, one of the enemy's Dreadnought-class ships was lost, leaving two with full combat capability, and they still had nearly three hundred Warrior-class ships. But their side had the Eternal Storm, heavily damaged, and less than fifty spore-class battleships remaining. Coupled with the looming energy crisis, Chai Yue was unsure if they could continue.
After suffering such heavy losses and failing to rescue her father, would a retreat mean all their efforts were in vain? But to persist, the chances of success seemed incredibly slim.
After a long pause, she gritted her teeth, her heart filled with resentment, and gave the order. "Withdraw!"
"But we can't let them leave so easily!" Bai Yuzhi, the strategist, quickly added. "Transmit the order: Kite tactics!"
"Yes!"
The command was quickly relayed to every ship, and the intense offensive suddenly eased. The battleships began to disperse, retreating while engaging, making their way towards the Martian atmosphere.
This maneuver left the Big Star forces somewhat bewildered. *They're not fighting anymore?* But their leader soon issued a new order. "Full speed withdrawal, return to Big Star!"
One of them pointed at Chai Shao and asked, "Leader, what about this guy?"
The leader glared at Chai Shao, his teeth clenched. He wanted to kill him! The man was supposed to be a hostage, yet he was still causing trouble. He had dared to stage a counter-hijacking! But then, he spoke. "Leave him for now!"
With that, he ordered the ship to move closer to one of the Dreadnought-class vessels outside.
Back on the Dreadnought-class ship, he let out a long sigh of relief. He requested a drink, sat down, and took a sip, his heart still pounding from the near-disaster. Chai Shao was also transferred to this ship, locked in a steel cage, his limbs bound by chains. Even so, twenty fully armed Big Star soldiers guarded him. Unless he was a deity, escape was impossible.
Watching him in the cage, some of the Big Star soldiers couldn't help but start discussing. "Why do you think the leader isn't killing him?"
"There must be a reason!"
"What reason?"
"Don't you remember? Earlier, a team brought some Yanhuang tribesmen back from Blue Star and made a fortune selling them!"
"Pfft, how much could they be worth?"
"You wouldn't know this. The Yanhuang tribesmen's genes contain many advantageous segments. Just one living genetic cell can sell for one green coin!"
"Just one green coin? That's considered valuable?"
"Ignorant! Men of the Yanhuang tribe have no shortage of this. They can easily produce hundreds of millions!"
"Whoa... are you saying... that's all true?" Several soldiers' eyes widened in disbelief.
One of them stared at Chai Shao with a glint in his eyes, a sinister smile playing on his lips. "Anyway, it's a long trip back, and we're idle. How about we extract some from this guy first?"
Chai Shao: ??? *Damn it, can you at least take off this translator when you're saying this stuff! Talking like this right in front of me, is that even okay?*
Before he could voice his opinion, several soldiers approached him, carrying a pile of bottles, each at least a liter in size!
Chai Shao panicked: ............ "What do you want!" "I'm warning you, don't do anything reckless!" "This could be fatal!" "If I die, your leader will kill you all!"
"Hahahaha, don't worry, we know how to handle it!" The soldiers laughed, opening the steel cage and surrounding him with menacing grins.
"Rrrriiippp..." A series of tearing sounds echoed.
Then, Chai Shao's screams could be heard. "Beasts! Let me go!" "Ah... what kind of technique are you learning from...!" ".............."