Chapter 172: Argh… what am I supposed to do
They watched the line of cracks widen as a burst of light shone through, the clear blue sky above reflected in their dumbfounded expressions.
The spaceship flew out of the mountain, and their gaze fixed on the grassy terrain below.
"Gasp," Grace gasped, breaking the silence as seat belts unfastened themselves.
Stone hurried to the glass panel, pressing his fingers against it as if he were touching the captivating view below.
"So this is the surface..." Randall muttered, his eyes filling with unshed tears at the thought that he had lived to see humanity come out of hiding.
It was a momentous day—one they would never forget.
"I now understand Adrian’s restlessness to return to the surface. Grace nodded. If she were in his place, she wouldn’t want to go back to Oasis after being beneath their endless sky.
[Input coordinates for your destination. Or should I shut down the engine?] Aries’ question snapped them out of their daze, and Grace reached for the device in her space ring.
"Stone, here. Turn the device on; we need to locate—" Grace’s words caught in her throat as her gaze landed on the dense black shadows in the sky, rushing toward them.
Others quickly noticed, and an alarm blared throughout the spaceship. Aries was trying to alert them of danger ahead.
[Engaging battle mode.] The occupants are advised to brace for impact as Aries’s voice resonated through the spaceship. Those who had planned to continue their meals or sleep quickly sat back down and secured their seat belts.
Their hearts pounded with fear and confusion—twice in one day, they had to brace for impact again.
The walls had not become transparent to reveal the view outside; otherwise, they would have been shocked by the vast number of flying beasts against the blue sky above.
Because Grace and the others didn’t know how to control the spaceship, they weren’t aware that those steel walls had this function.
In the control room, Grace stood in front of the screen displaying weapons of different sizes, and his gaze fell on the electric net below.
Hesitating for a moment, she boldly clicked on it, inwardly hoping it would work.
[Weapon selected, ask the master to choose three more for a 100 percent chance of successfully eradicating the target.] Aries mechanical voice echoed in the control room, and Grace quickly scanned the weapons, selecting two arrow-shaped rockets and a beam bomb.
Then she rushed toward her seat, the seatbelt fastening her in as soon as she sat.
The spaceship’s outer surface transforms into a battle-ready state; some sections below the engine slide open, and the weapon slides out, just waiting to be launched.
The unsuspecting beasts flew closer, their overwhelming number sending chills down their spines as they watched through the glass panel.
As the beasts approached the spaceship, the red button next to the lever lit up, and a faint whizzing sound echoed as the weapon fired with a loud bang.
The rockets detonated, setting the sky ablaze in crimson light. The beasts caught in the explosions screamed as they plummeted from the sky. Others fared worse, torn apart into fragments as blood burst through the air like fireworks.
A blue beam shot out of the spaceship and caught several beasts, shocking them until they turned black, with wisps of smoke curling out of their mouths and bodies.
The spaceship flew out of the area, but its attack continued until the beasts disappeared from sight.
But before Grace could sigh in relief, they encountered another flying beasts—a different beast, quite unlike the last, and larger in size.
This time, the beasts attacked first; they beat their wings, and sharp wind blades formed in the air, rushing toward the ship.
Aries quickly enveloped the spaceship in a blue dome shield that looked almost transparent in the sunlight.
The wind blades hit the dome instead, but the spaceship didn’t escape the impact and shook.
Some children cried out in fear, while the braver ones giggled and clapped as the seat trembled beneath them.
"Stone! Quickly find their destination—we need to land this spaceship! It’s too conspicuous in the air; the beasts will notice us. We need to land or reach our destination quickly," Grace instructed, tossing the device to Stone as her words made the others realize the danger.
Stone grabbed the rectangular metal and pressed the button on the side.
The device turned on, but a static line covered the screen. Stone gently patted it and held his hand in the air, hoping the static would clear and a connect signal would appear.
The screen steadied briefly, displaying a green map with a flickering red dot, then went static again.
Stone frowned and patted it again, but this time more forcefully. The spaceship shook and suddenly tilted slightly to the left; the device nearly slipped from his fingers, but he quickly held on.
"Anything?!" Leo asked from the seat across from him.
Randall frowned and clung to the couch for support as another wave of an attack hit the spaceship again.
"No! I can’t get a signal right now." Stone responded, raising the device higher; a flash of orange light flickered through the glass panel as roars echoed from outside.
"The situation outside isn’t getting better; a new swarm of flying creatures is approaching from the north. I think we have no choice but to land," Grace announced, gripping the wall while selecting new weapons on the screen.
"Come on, come on... just connect," Stone whispered repeatedly under his breath as he patted the device, the screen flickering between black-and-white static and a green map.
Grace noticed from the corner of her eye that the flying beasts were gathering from all directions and knew it was time to decide.
"Aries Land—" she began, but Stone’s shout cut her off at the last second.
"Head south! Aries, scan this location quickly!" Stone ordered as he passed the device to Grace, who quickly set it down beside the lever.
A blue light shone softly from beneath the device, scanning across the screen, and immediately after completing the scan, the device turned off.
["Scan successful... recording coordinates... 300 km from here. Initiating full-blast mode in three... two... one." Aries’ voice rang through the control room as the weapons retracted into the spaceship, the engine burst into blue flames, and the ship shot forward.
The spaceship crushed the flying beasts in its path at a speed that nearly seems impossible.
The sudden force pushed Grace back, but Leo caught her arm and pulled her to him before she could slam her head into the wall.
"Great, safe there," Grace muttered, her voice trembling with relief and a hint of fear.
"We’ll see Eva and the others," she added. The tension in her heart eased as she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest.
"Hmm," Leo hummed in response as he gently caressed her back.
The tension in the air disappeared, and everyone in the rest area went back to their lively selves as the spaceship carried them into the unknown.
....
Meanwhile, Eva had no idea she would soon see her parents. At that moment, she was trying her hand at the tractor, but before she could turn the key, Julian teleported beside her and, without a word, grabbed her by the waist and vanished with her.
"Haven’t I told you not to enter the tractor? If you want to help..." Julian trailed off, his rambling stopping as his gaze darted around the busy site in search of an easier task for her.
"Ahh... so you can’t find anything for me to do, huh? I tried helping with the grass cutting, but no—you said I’d faint in the sun. Then I tried carrying water, but no—my waist might twist, or my powers might run out. ¯\_ಠ_ಠ_/¯ Argh... what am I supposed to do? I’m bored. And you won’t even let me sleep..." Eva huffed in frustration.
Julian cleared his throat in guilt under her deadly stare. "You can go around and monitor those who are slacking, yes! Do that." He patted himself on the back for quickly coming up with a suitable job for her.
Eva merely stared at him with a flat expression before turning away, lest she lose control and pinch him.