Zhou Tianming kept observing the warship along the way, only to find that the enemy had also quieted down without launching further attacks.
Out of missiles?
Why aren't they leaving?
He pondered carefully.
Are they trying to resupply mid-air?
This might be an opportunity.
He accelerated his spacesuit slightly.
Soon arriving at the nearest weapons shop, he found it too regulated - not a single oversized item could be found.
This made Zhou Tianming realize his approach was flawed.
How could any shop marked on official maps carry extreme equipment?
"Uncle Li, I need to modify this spacesuit. I require some forbidden equipment."
Li Chi frowned momentarily before saying, "You won't find those in regular shops. You need equipment recycling warehouses - they have everything if you know where to look."
After receiving directions, Zhou Tianming swiftly guided his spacesuit to the location.
Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at a workshop surrounded by a yard full of scattered metal parts.
Entering, Zhou Tianming's attention was immediately captured by a massive machine standing at the workshop entrance.
It was a cylindrical mechanical device over 2 meters tall, containing a fist-thick solid metal spike.
"Is this a pile driver?"
Zhou Tianming smiled.
What could be more suitable for armor penetration?
The spacesuit tore off the chain hanging on the workshop door and entered, revealing rows of shelves filled with various outdated equipment.
Zhou Tianming dismounted, examining items while mentally drafting blueprints.
Thirty minutes later, after gathering all necessary components with the spacesuit, Zhou Tianming carefully lifted Li Chi out and leaned him against a wall.
His wounds had reopened, blood pooling on the ground, yet he seemed oblivious, his wide eyes fixed on the equipment.
"Almost ready! Almost ready!..."
He kept murmuring incessantly.
The sight was both chilling and heartbreaking.
Zhou Tianming redressed his wounds, but the bandages quickly soaked through with blood.
"Don't waste time on me. Do what you must. I'll hold on."
Seeing his condition, Zhou Tianming gritted his teeth and administered another dose of forbidden drug before focusing entirely on modifying the spacesuit.
...
Ohmus Warship Bridge.
"Sir, the cargo plane has arrived."
"Open the hatch," Gregg said sternly. "Have them load ammunition immediately. Post guards at the hatch - we can't afford any breaches."
"Understood!"
Then Gregg's adjutant asked, "Sir, what if Wei Jun's group is already wiped out? Should we still attack the city? The Junk Dealers might cause trouble afterward."
Gregg leaned back in the soft cushion of the captain's chair, staring at the display screen before him. "Trouble? That's for losers. As the victor, why should I explain anything to a bunch of scavengers?"
He raised his arm, fingers splayed, and grasped at the city map on the screen before clenching his fist.
"You're so good at hiding, aren't you? So good at fighting? Come at me then. I'll be waiting for you at Ohmus."
As he spoke, Gregg's shoulders shook—first with a light chuckle, then tipping his head back in roaring laughter.
...
During a break in the modifications, Zhou Tianming heard a distant rumble growing louder. Stepping outside, he spotted aircraft delivering supplies to the warship.
From his position beneath the rear of the warship, he could see the open cargo bay doors. His hands moved faster.
Half an hour later, the modifications to the spacesuit were complete.
The jetpack on its back had been removed and replaced with a three-meter-tall rocket for propulsion, ensuring it could reach the warship.
The external armor on the right arm had been stripped away, retrofitted with a modified pile driver from the entrance, then reinforced with additional armor plates for extra defense.
To maintain balance, the stabilization data had been recalibrated, and a small rectangular black magazine pod was mounted on the left shoulder.
High explosives were packed into the legs of the spacesuit.
A blade-like armor plate with a handle was attached at the waist.
Zhou Tianming frowned at the bizarre-looking spacesuit before him.
With so little room for modifications, this was the best they could do. To describe it—it was a brute-force, flying humanoid brick loaded with explosives.
Every conceivable contingency had been crammed into it.
"Done?"
Li Chi's voice brimmed with excitement.
Zhou Tianming glanced back at him and nodded. "Yeah."
"Thank you. Let's begin—I can't wait any longer."
Li Chi grabbed the forbidden drug with his right hand, tearing the packaging open with his teeth before injecting the remaining doses into his body.
His eyes were bloodshot, bulging as if about to pop out of their sockets. His lips curled into a grin, foam gathering at the corners of his mouth, his face alight with manic excitement.
Sensing his resolve, Zhou Tianming said nothing more, lifting him and securing him inside the spacesuit.
...
At the Black Tortoise.
The ship lay overturned on the ground, a massive hole torn into its side.
Wei Jun, covered in blood, one arm hanging limp, dragged a thick cable behind him as he limped forward.
"Gregg, thanks to you dismantling the Black Tortoise's engine, it didn't explode and take me with it." Wei Jun glared at the distant warship in the sky with his remaining good eye. "I owe you a proper thank-you."
With that, he connected the cable to the Black Tortoise.
When the sound of machinery whirring to life echoed from the ship, he exhaled deeply, grinning as he patted the Black Tortoise's belly. "Knew you were tough, old friend. Just a little hole—nothing serious."
He crawled through the breach and returned to the bridge.
Mechanical arms extended from the Black Tortoise's hull, while the underside opened to reveal a long, slender electromagnetic cannon.
The arms worked swiftly, detaching the cannon and securing it firmly to the ground.
Wei Jun licked his lips, using the one-third of the bridge's screens still functional to aim.
"EAT THIS, YOU BASTARD!"
He roared as he pulled the trigger.
...
Minutes earlier, at Zhou Tianming's location.
Zhou Tianming bid farewell to Li Chi, who saluted him with his only remaining right hand.
Seeing this familiar gesture, Zhou Tianming smiled and raised his right hand in a military salute.
The two exchanged knowing smiles.
"Farewell."
"Yes, farewell."
With a determined gaze, Zhou Tianming pressed the enter key. A deafening roar of flames erupted from the factory, accompanied by a gust of wind that kicked up clouds of dust.
...
Beep beep beep—
An alarm blared on the bridge.
"Heat source detected beneath the ship! Suspected Missiles approaching!"
"Close the hatch!" Gregg shouted. "Just as I predicted! Have the men open fire immediately and destroy as many Missiles as possible!"
At the rear hatch of the Warship, the sound of hydraulics filled the air as the door slowly lifted and began to seal shut.
At the entrance, a group of soldiers knelt on one knee, rifles raised as they unleashed a barrage of bullets at the incoming Rockets below.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of explosions lit up the sky as five or six Rockets were obliterated.
Thick black smoke billowed out from the explosions, obscuring visibility.
The soldiers inside the ship, now blinded, could only rely on memory to continue firing blindly.
A few more Rockets detonated within the smoke, momentarily clearing gaps that were quickly swallowed by fresh plumes of darkness.
Then, the remaining Rockets shot through the smoke in an instant. The soldiers' bullets chased after them, but it was too late.
The Rockets slammed into various sections of the Warship's stern, erupting into flames that crawled across the armor like a fiery cloak, their brilliance dimming even the glow of the thrusters.
The shockwaves whipped up violent winds, hurling soldiers at the hatch into the air—some fortunate enough to land inside the storage bay, others unlucky enough to be flung out into the void.
Over a dozen men streaked through the black smoke like falling stars before crashing to the ground, reduced to crimson smears.
By now, the hatch was two-thirds closed. A Spacesuit shot past the stern, soaring into the sky.
Through the narrowing gap, the soldiers who saw this sneered in disdain.
On the bridge, the downward-facing display showed nothing but swirling darkness.
"Fire the Missiles!" Gregg bellowed. "Blanket the area!"
Just then, the radar operator yelled, "We're being targeted! High-energy reaction ahead!"
"What?!"
Gregg was stunned.
A streak of blue lightning split the sky, arriving before the Warship in the blink of an eye.