Chapter 488: Along the Way (1/2)
Chapter 488: Along the Way
Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Ye Chong looked gloomy.
The first battle under Xi Qing's lead had gone perfectly, but this perfect first time also came at a high price. Because Xi Qing's squad had performed wonderfully, the other mech pilots began to underestimate the red-tailed beasts.
However, this incorrect supposition was quickly overturned!
The second squad fought against three red-tailed beasts as well, and four of the squad were injured in combat. Had Ye Chong not stepped in to help, they would have all lost their lives. Even so, the four of them received significant injuries. Fortunately, Haskel had medical equipment onboard, even though it would still take 10 days for them to fully recuperate.
The wake-up call once again reminded everyone of how dangerous the red-tailed beasts were.
There were no more casualties in later battles, but Ye Chong still looked gloomy. His combat power came not from the adult mech pilots, but from his very own 20 students. Those were his capable fighters. However, four of them were injured.
These 20 students had formed squads of five, so it meant that Ye Chong had just lost one out of four combat squads. What's more, it was a loss that could have been avoided. Ye Chong had planned meticulously to create this strategic environment to reduce the natural advantages of the red-tailed beasts. Hence, he could not help but feel let down that he had lost a squad so soon into their journey.
”Ye, don't worry too much. They'll be good as new in just 10 days,” Shang offered a rare consolation.
”Alright,” Ye Chong replied.
Shang did not seem to notice Ye Chong's mood as he declared excitedly, ”Ye, today's battle proved that your method works. As long as we keep this up, it shouldn't be a problem.”
Ye Chong quickly composed himself and corrected Shang, ”You mean, if we don't encounter any large groups of red-tailed beasts.”
”I suppose you're right,” Shang mused, ”If we encounter a larger group of them, then we're screwed. However, if our deductions are correct, the odds are in our favor.”
Ye Chong and Shang had done extensive analysis when deciding on their flight course, and had chosen their current route in the end. It was not the fastest route, but their calculations suggested that it was the one with the lowest chance of encountering large groups of red-tailed beasts.
Killing more than 20 red-tailed beasts was a feat that raised the morale of everyone on the starship. The crew all looked hopeful and energetic.
Now, the crew discussed mostly about the brilliant ways in which the students defeated the creatures. The four casualties that Ye Chong thought avoidable was ignored in these discussions. To them, four casualties and none dead were definitely a good outcome in killing off 28 red-tailed beasts. Where before they had felt hopeless against the mysterious creatures, now they allowed themselves to be optimistic.
Even the mech pilots who did not participate in the battles were encouraged. The red-tailed beasts were not invincible. They knew this now as fact. With this glimmer of hope, they began to train themselves even more.
They realized that the students won against the red-tailed beasts because of their unique coordination strategies. That would be their key to survival. Recognizing this, they began to train in earnest, even without Ye Chong's reminder.
The maintenance crew got busier and busier .They would have to fix all the mechs that were damaged from the daily trainings. These mechs would be returned again and again to the maintenance section due to the trainings. To avoid interrupting their training sessions, the maintenance crew worked diligently without complaint.
The entire starship was filled with enthusiasm! The desire to live, whether courageously or cowardly, had never been too different.
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Xiao Wan looked tired. In front of her was Arwa. The genius tactician had lost a lot of weight, but he was still in high spirits.