Chapter 177: Taking the UFO
A few moments ago, Mei pressed her body against the rubble as her Living Camouflage wrapped her in invisibility.
As soon as her Talent was triggered, the battlefield noise was muffled, her heat signature erased, and her movements were suppressed by Silent Veins Lv3.
She was like a phantom, unseen even by the advanced sensors of the Dragoons.
At this time, Desmond was already safe inside the main building, so she no longer had to worry about him.
Knowing that her dog had taken cover, it gave her freedom to act.
"I’m ready..." Mei muttered as she carried her Plasma Rifle that was warm in her hands. Since it was turned on, its charge indicator was glowing faintly.
She could already fire it at any time she wanted.
Of course, she had only one target in mind, the massive vessel hovering beyond the smoke.
It was unmistakable.
It had twin rotors that were stabilizing its wide, angular body...
She also noticed that it had gun mounts lined its sides, and beneath its belly, hatches were present, and it could probably be used for deploying more Sentinels.
Mei recognized it instantly... it looked almost identical to the Samson she had seen in the old film Avatar.
It was basically a transport and gunship hybrid, designed to dominate both air and ground.
As she got into position, her finger hovered near the trigger.
One shot to the rotors, maybe two, and she could cripple it.
The risk was enormous... Her camouflage would drop the moment she fired and failed to destroy it, she’d get into trouble. But if she didn’t act, the shelter could be obliterated.
Then Kai arrived.
She saw him below and seemed to have given Atom another Plasma Rifle with a charge. He seemed to be using the Chameleon Cloak he bought from the Gene Trader, making him so difficult to detect.
Nonetheless, with the two working together, they destroyed the last two Dragoons!
"Whoa!"
"Just one more! That large vessel!"
The defenders cheered weakly, but Kai ignored the celebration. Mei then saw Atom ditching the Plasma Rifle and taking out another weapon!
"Everyone, pull back! That UFO is charging up!" Kai shouted.
Mei’s eyes turned back to the vessel.
’UFO? Are we in Alien Invasion?’ As she thought of this, she saw that a hatch had opened, revealing a cannon glowing with energy!
The hum grew louder as the weapon started gathering power for a devastating strike!
But Kai didn’t fire at it. He didn’t even raise his weapon!
’What?’
Mei frowned. If he wouldn’t act, then she would. She steadied her aim, ready to break her concealment.
"Wait, Mei!"
The voice froze her.
Kai had sensed her. Somehow, even through her concealment, his skills pierced her stealth...
His eyes were actually locked on her position, though she was invisible to everyone else.
She hesitated, stunned at the sudden call.
Then she noticed Atom. The A‑Grade Sentinel that had switched weapons.
It was now carrying a heavy rifle designed to fire solid blocks of metal.
BOOM!
The weapon fired and a block of steel shot out like a cannonball, slamming into the vessel’s hull.
BOOM!
The impact shook the air. The gunship lost its balance as the cannon’s energy dissipated!
Somehow, the shelter was spared.
Mei lowered her rifle as she looked at Atom. Then, her eyes widened as realization struck. "Wait... Kai! Are you thinking of capturing that thing?!"
Kai grinned...
He was confident that he’d succeed.
Seeing Kai’s reaction, Mei knew she was right.
No wonder he hadn’t wanted her to fire.
Atom fired again, another block of metal smashing into the vessel’s side.
The gunship started failing with its rotors straining to keep balance.
Soon, she saw sparks break out from its weapon mount, the cannon was definitely damaged!
Kai then used his Keen Sense to the limit as he found the time...
"Suppress the rotors, Atom!" Kai commanded.
The Sentinel obeyed, firing two more blocks of metal. One struck the left rotor assembly, bending its frame. The other slammed into the underside hatch, jamming it shut before more Sentinels could deploy!
Boom! Boom!
The vessel wobbled and its flight path was destabilized. It wasn’t destroyed, but it was forced lower, closer to the ground.
Kai raised his hand, activating Spirit Pulse Lv5.
Suddenly! Energy surged outward, and a shockwave of Spirit power followed!
It was so strong that it rattled the vessel’s systems. The cannon’s charge finally stopped.
Mei watched in awe. "He’s disabling it... not destroying it. It might be possible to capture this thing..."
It didn’t end there...
Kai’s body blurred as he used Specter Step Lv3, vanishing from sight and reappearing closer to the vessel that had already lowered due to their constant attacks!
Furthermore, its mounted gun couldn’t lock on to him. Kai’s movement was ghostlike, unpredictable, and impossible to track thanks to his Cloak and Gene Skill!
"Go Atom! Put it down!" Kai shouted.
Just like that, Atom continued its barrage, firing block after block!
If the magazine was emptied, Atom would just put more in!
Each impact forced the vessel lower until its landing struts scraped the dirt!
However, it wasn’t done yet! The rotors screamed as it was trying to keep it airborne.
"Almost there!"
Kai leapt as he saw the vessel struggling...
Relying on his Bronze Skin Lv2 to harden and stabilize his body against the shockwave of rotor wash, he landed atop the vessel, and his hand pressed against its hull!
Bam!
"Fast Appraisal..." he muttered.
Data flooded his mind...
Now that it was level 5, various details came into his mind that wouldn’t be possible if not for his current level.
Soon, he even noticed the structural weaknesses, energy flow, weapon systems. He saw the vessel’s vulnerabilities as if they were highlighted in red!
It wasn’t just a notification from the system and a simple description anymore!
"There," he whispered, before activating Spirit Pulse into the highlighted node.
’Ok... No more Spirit Points...’
Thankfully, his move slowed the rotors, and the entire craft tilted before settling heavily onto the ground.
Crash!
Mei finally dropped her camouflage, stepping out of the haze with her rifle lowered. "You... you actually captured it."