Chapter 457: Missing Personnel
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
As the Zergs were about to break the ponderous gate of the storage room, a thousand spikes erupted from the holes on the ground, skewering all of them like Shish taouks. This was not a storage room; it was a slaughterhouse specially designed for this particular occasion.
Kaost was not as oblivious as he seemed after all, but what else did he know?
Kaost looked through the window at the heated battle indifferently. There was only one thing that weighed heavily on his mind, "Where are Samantha and Patroclus?" Out of all the personnel that he had sent to the space city. He only planned to have the two of them to return safely. What had gone wrong?
Wang Tong hammered his way through throngs of humanoids, as most of the resistance was reduced to pulp under the lance of Einherjar. All this while, Wang Tong refuse to look back.
By the time they arrived at the dock, it had turned into an inferno. Zergs, were everywhere, dead or alive, blocking the passage. The hulking Spaceship was already departing slowly—they needed to hurry!
"Samantha, you drive."
Fire Drake!
A fire-breathing dragon appeared out of nowhere and plunged its fiery beard into the mass of Zergs. In a blink, it melted a passage in the middle of the sea of Zergs. Samantha brought the Maglev to the already-closing tunnel. However, they saw the spaceship had un-docked; it was too late.
Wang Tong didn't have much time to think, so he lifted Samantha out of her seat and threw her over his shoulder as he cranked up soul energy and flew into space.
When Wang Tong rammed into the Ark, a swell of cheers erupted in the command center; he had made it! However, people quickly realized that there was one person that should have made it but didn't: Patroclus.
Zhang Jin could not have peace of mind ever since Patroclus left for Luolan. Her heart sank when she noticed that Patroclus didn't come back with Wang Tong. If Wang Tong could make it, so could have he. The fact that he was missing meant only one thing.
By then, the Ark had gained some distance from the dreadful city, but Carmen's fleet was still hot on their heel. The space city's shield was up, so it was impossible to bombard the city from above. With nothing to gain, Kaost ordered the Ark to depart with full speed.
"Full speed ahead! Ordinates: S134-W45656." Kaost gave the order. He wagered that from here on, the communication with the confederation would be cut off. The Ark would be on its own now.
Wang Tong slumped in the corner of a room, sorrow and anger written all over his face. Samantha felt guilty: if not for her, he would have saved Jansining. She walked to Wang Tong and pated on his shoulder: "Let's go, there's much to do."
The turn of the events came so sudden that no one was prepared for it.
Carmen's space fighters were quickly forming an encirclement around Ark. The Ark glided toward the yet-to-be-closed opening, attempting to avoid a costly fight.
After Kaost gave the order, the Arc fired into the rank of the aggressor, unleashing a thousand beams of light that lit up the dark space. Carmen's fleet fired back, sending beams of light of equal intensity into space.
Thanks to the new power source, the Ark remained impenetrable under its shield. Its firepower was hundred times more potent than the opponent, and it reduced half of Carmen's fleet into ashes in a blink.
Kaost was not overly excited about the victory, as he had expected the Ark to excel in a direct exchange of fire—that was what it was built for. He ordered the ship to keep straight ahead and finally brought it out of enemies' range of fire.
As soon as they were safe, Kaost called a meeting to discuss his current priority, returning back to earth.
After the meeting, Samantha remained in her seat and waited until everyone except Kaost to leave the room.
"Captain, I think I have the right to know what is going on!"
"What do you want to know?" Kaost said as he lit a cigar in between two fingers.
"Did you know about the Zergs before we arrived at the city?"
"Are you questioning me? Let me ask you a question first: where is Patroclus?" Kaost said slowly. He was prepared for this conversation.
Samantha knew she had to answer this questions first, so she briefed the captain about what had happened on Luolan.
Kaost's face blackened after hearing what had happened. "How... How could it be?" He knew that the chance of Patroclus returning to the ship was zero, and losing a great house heir was no small matter.
Kaost heaved a sigh of resignation and said, "I did know everything ahead of time. That is why I sent Patroclus to protect you."
"WHAT?" Samantha slammed the desk.
"I know what you are going to say, but did you know that—" Kaost stopped talking right away as if he suddenly remembered that what he was going to say could not be shared.
Kaost stood up and locked his eyes with Samantha. "Remember, it is nothing personal. It is a matter of life and death for the entire human race. We should be ready to sacrifice ourselves for the greater good."
Samantha knew that Kaost was only exercising the will of the Confederation. She had a feeling that Patroclus knew all of this ahead of time as well.
As if Kaost had seen through Samantha's thoughts, he announced, "The real objective of this expedition was to reach the Andromeda Galaxy. We have to get there regardless of how difficult it is."
"Captain, why do I feel like we are just cannon fodder" Samantha half jested.
Kaost didn't comment on that. Instead, he reminded Samantha in a solemn voice, "Remember your place, girl. No more questions."
Wang Tong brought the devastating news to Big O and third. They didn't cry, nor did they show any sorrow. Instead, they brought out a dozen twelve packs and started drinking in the name of Jansining. They knew that Jansining didn't go far, and would be waiting for them in the underworld. What was a lifetime to a ghost? In a blink an eye, the four of them would be united again.
The residence of the Ark was shaken after the Zerg attack.
"They told me that the Ark was the most powerful spaceship ever built. Why didn't they kill off all the Zergs?"
"Lies, it's all Lies! They must be responsible for the psychological trauma I had endured."
"Do they have any idea who I am? Turn back at this instant!"
Kaost let the insults slide off his ego like rainwater from his bald head. After the ranting died down, he stood up and explained their situation.
"I understand your feeling, and I am confident that Ark would be able to provide safety for all of you. They caught us by surprise, but even so, we could have killed all the Zergs if we wanted to. However, your safety with us is of paramount importance. Therefore, we had decided to avoid frontal confrontation for the time being. Again, I want to assure you that you are absolutely safe on my ship. "
Kaost's words of assurance finally placated the angry mob. However, Li Shiming and Lie Jian sniffed out the subtle uncertainty in between the lines. They knew that they had to prepare: a storm was coming. After a few days, Li Shiming and Lie Jian's spies reported the surprising news: Patroclus had turned himself over to the Zergs, and had willingly transformed into one of those humanoid creatures.