NOVEL WEB Chapter 168: Seconds to Impact
As soon as the thrusters reached standard operating speed, we quickly burst out of the water's surface.
From the outside, it might've looked like an atomic bomb had exploded within the ocean, causing a massive pillar of water to rise into the air. But it was just our ships, dragging thousands of tons of water along as we burst through the surface.
The shores were literally wrecked by the waves caused by it, disrupting some of the ground units—some even suffered concussions after being slapped by the rushing tide.
"Speed up! Rain down hell on 'em!"
But that wasn't the end of their suffering. As soon as our ships reached a stable altitude of a few hundred meters in the air, concentrated laser fire was unleashed. We didn't shoot randomly either—we followed the tactical map that Nyssra leaked, hitting the key points first.
This way, the enemy's return fire would be delayed even further... or prevented entirely.
Well, it's just the ground troops, though.
"Incoming ships from above!" Eva quickly warned, watching as the radar picked up new signals.
Without holding anything back, a fleet of about 200 ships had just arrived and began firing nonstop at our backs. The shields held up—thankfully—but definitely not for long.
"Return fire!"
I commanded, adjusting the turrets to face upward and retaliate.
Just like before, instead of a sporadic, oppressive rain, all our attacks were focused on one enemy ship after another. Although this left most of the enemy fleet untouched for a moment, this maneuver ensured we eliminated them slowly, methodically.
"Shields on top of the ship are reaching critical point!" Eva shouted. "At this rate, we'll get hit!"
Without hesitation, I gave a new command. "Flip the ship!"
The next moment, all ships in our fleet shifted their angle—from upright to a sharp 90-degree turn. This way, the pressure on the topside shields would lessen, shifting incoming damage to other, untouched areas.
It pains me to teach pirates about how I maneuver ships during fights, but well, it's better than getting wiped out.
With this maneuver, we can rotate which shield section takes the brunt of the assault. This allows us to keep thinning out the enemy fleet one ship at a time while maintaining our own numbers.
Of course, as we exchanged fire, the fleet continued moving. Our destination was, naturally, the landlocked region where the Primula was kept. Checking the navigation panel, our estimated time of arrival—at our current pace—was just over a minute.
"Speed up!" I quickly shouted. "If more reinforcements arrive, we're cooked!"
With additional enemy ships, even if they don't coordinate their fire, the sheer volume alone could cause our defenses to collapse.
We can't afford that.
As such, we doubled our speed, which in turn caused more of our shots toward the ground to miss. This set off a chain reaction, allowing the ground units to finally fire off surface-to-air missiles, bumping up our shield consumption even more.
"Damn it...!"
I watched as the shields' energy drained and how slowly they recovered. But at this rate, the recharge couldn't keep up. All four shields would be oversaturated before we could reach the target zone.
The enemy's resistance was far fiercer than we'd expected!
I turned to Nyssra, who usually pulled sneaky tricks during moments like this...
But even she looked rattled.
Her hands moved like a blur, but despite that, it didn't look like she was making any progress. The enemy's system protections must've been reinforced during our short period in hiding.
If we didn't act soon, we'd get shot down before even reaching the target.
"...To all corvettes." I took a deep breath and gave the hardest order. "Head between the enemy fleet and disrupt their formation! When you're about to get shot down—detonate your engines!"
And just like that, I gave the worst possible command I could ever give—ordering my own troops to lay down their lives for the others.
Of course, none of them would willingly obey such an order. However, disobedience would activate the collars locked around their necks. Their only choices now were to die from strangulation due to defiance—or die moments later in a forced act of glorious self-sacrifice.
The next moment, all of the small corvettes detached from the fleet, moving in intricate formations as they weaved through the torrent of enemy fire.
As soon as they reached the heart of the enemy formation, they began attacking the shields directly—bumping against them physically, doing everything they could to bring them down. Then, as the barriers faltered, they'd unleash one or two volleys before retreating back out.
The former pirates fought to the best of their capabilities, trying their hardest to survive under my ruthless command. But of course, not all of them could handle themselves expertly.
Some ended up crashing into enemy ships, while others were shot down before getting close enough to engage.
Their numbers dwindled rapidly...
But thanks to their sacrifice, a new path opened up.
"Fire, fire, fire! Don't let up for a second!"
Right now, any hesitation could lead to our demise. We can't afford to stand still. We can't stop our cannons, even if they're on the verge of overheating.
Within mere moments, only 20% of the corvettes remained... But thanks to the sacrifice of four-fifths of them, the enemy fleet of over 200 military ships had been decimated.
"And to add...!"
I grinned, exhilarated, my eyes locked onto the Primula from up close. That's right—we were now within its operational perimeter!
Although the ground attacks were still active, it wasn't anything we couldn't handle. Just one coordinated volley was enough to silence them. They don't have shields like ships, after all.
"Perimeter the area!" I barked out, commanding the remaining units. "Make sure no one can interfere! Eva, you're in charge as captain while I'm gone!"
Then, the next moment, I leapt out of the captain's seat and stormed out.
Even before surfacing from the depths of the ocean, I was already wearing a powered suit—the 2065-S Truman Suit brand I'd trusted and used for years. After all, the Primula's "latch" had to be operated manually—by a human.
With covering fire raining all around me, I flew down in a precise, straight dive.
I'd played around with the Primula before, back in the game, so I knew exactly where the levers were located. It didn't take me long to activate them one by one.
Out of the ten levers, I had already pulled down six within a minute. Just four more remained...
*ZIIIIIIN!*
But just as I was about to reach the next one, the Primula began charging and fired a devastating laser blast. The radiant surge of energy slammed into me with force, sending me and my armor crashing into the wall.
"Ugh..."
I groaned, head swimming. I probably had a concussion, even with the cushioning inside the helmet doing its best to shield me.
But despite the pain, I couldn't stop now. Forcing my body forward, I flew toward the next lever, grabbing and yanking it down with a grunt.
"Three... more...!" I muttered to myself, almost like a prayer.
'Don't fire, don't fire, don't fire…!'
I kept chanting in my mind as I pushed forward, looping around.
But just as I pulled the seventh lever down, I heard the rising hum of energy again. Another blast was imminent—and this time, its target wasn't just random. The Primula was locked onto the largest ship in our fleet... The Black Halberd.
"Shit…! NO!"
I couldn't stop the firing sequence. Not without shutting off the last two levers. But there were only seconds left, and the remaining levers were located far apart. There was no way I could physically reach both in time.
Still, I didn't give up.
Maxing out my thruster output, I blasted toward the closest lever. In one second, I covered the 100 meters and slammed it down. But just as I turned around to fly toward the final lever... Two seconds had already passed.
"...!"
I clenched my jaw, bracing myself for another impact… But nothing came.
Cautiously, I opened my eyes... and spotted a figure about three hundred meters away, on the opposite end of the Primula's station. A familiar white and green Truman Suit—almost identical to mine.
"Eva…!"
Without my knowledge, she had left the ship and flown down here, reaching and pulling the final lever at the last possible moment!
{Seems like you forgot,} Eva's voice came through the radio, slightly prickly. {Your comms are still on. All your mumbling was getting noisy, so I came to shut you—I mean, to help!}
"...That's a relief then."
If the Black Halberd had been hit by the Primula while I wasn't manually controlling the shields, it would've been obliterated. It's truly a miracle... and a relief that they're still safe.
"Anyway, we've shut down the Primula now," I said through the comms. "Let's get to work and drag this thing out!"
{Roger that!}
I nodded toward Eva as she flew up ahead of me.
Without delay, I followed her lead, chasing after her silhouette as we ascended together—
*BANG!*
And then, I witnessed something unbelievable... A bullet fired from below pierced right through Eva's suit. Blood sprayed into the air, and everything around me seemed to slow down.
"Eva…!"
I shouted, horror seizing my heart.