jdhmnovel Chapter 216 Escape
Chapter 216 Escape
Mei Chuan straightened his chest, patted the dust off his clothes, and said impatiently, "I agree! The enemy's firepower is too fierce. We don't have any air defense capabilities. Not to mention protective shields, even the main hull is almost falling apart from being corroded!"
We must preserve our strength first; we can't just throw our lives away for nothing! Let's hide below the sky island; it's a natural barrier!" His expression was furious, but a clear fear was evident in his eyes.
"Tanaka, this is not the time to act cool! If you have a better idea, say it now! Otherwise, if you wait a few more minutes until the ship is completely destroyed, it will be too late for you to curse us!"
Seeing Tanaka remain silent, sweat rolled down Meikawa's forehead. His expression was extremely unpleasant, and he appeared increasingly irritable.
Tanaka was not disturbed by the firelight and explosions. His brows were furrowed, and his gaze swept over Miki and Umekawa with a deep look. His voice was not loud, but it carried a power that made people stop.
"Do you really think hiding under the sky island will solve the problem?" Tanaka spoke slowly, his tone low but as steady as a rock amidst the chaotic atmosphere in the cabin.
His voice, like a cold wind, pierced through Miki and Meichuan's anxiety, "I admit that hiding under the sky island can indeed temporarily avoid the gunfire, that's for sure. But have you considered where we've trapped ourselves?"
As he said this, his gaze swept coldly over the two of them, his tone carrying a chilling undertone that seemed to shatter any illusions.
"We don't even know who's in charge of the floating island. If we sail our ship down there, we're essentially handing our lives over to them. Do you really think they'll just open fire?!"
Tanaka pointed heavily in the direction of the sky island, his eyes filled with an undeniable coldness.
"The sky is theirs, and the terrain on the island is theirs too. If they have any special means, like dropping bombs, or sending people and pets to suppress us from above..."
We could easily become caged beasts! Don't forget, once the shelter loses its ability to fight back, there's no way out.
Tanaka's tone turned stern, startling Miki. He continued, "This is a battle, not a simple game. Your idea—it's just a delaying tactic; it might buy you some time, but it won't last."
If we hand over our only initiative just to avoid being hit in the short term, and the opponent completely shuts us down, we won't be able to turn the tide, let alone launch a counterattack.
Tanaka's words infuriated Miki, but more so because of his unease and fear, he couldn't remain calm and retorted almost roaringly, "Then what else can we do?!"
Are we to stay in this area and become sitting ducks?! No, I don't want to die here! You're right, but if we stay here, we'll be done for!
Dodge is the only option, the only option to save your life! If you're dead, who cares about fighting back?!
He pointed at Tanaka and said, "Stop acting all high and mighty! The situation is clear. We can't escape from here, so we have to find cover. The area under the sky island is the closest cover to us right now! Do you want to take this wrecked ship to the bottom of the sea?"
Mei Chuan was momentarily stunned by Tanaka's words.
His initially tough stance began to crack. Although he remained defiant, his gaze gradually became unfocused. He understood that Tanaka was not exaggerating; while the floating islands offered temporary refuge from gunfire, they were a death trap in the long run.
He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to argue, but swallowed his words back, sweat dripping from his forehead and dampening his brow. Though stubborn, he was clearly hesitant now. "But if we... retreat now, how far can we go with this dilapidated boat?"
At this point, Sakata, who had been silent all along, finally spoke. His tone was not loud, but it carried a steady and authoritative air. He slowly stood up, leaned forward, placing himself among everyone, and said calmly but firmly:
There was no other choice.
He looked up at Miki and Umekawa, then turned to Tanaka. "I understand Tanaka's concerns. Hiding under the sky island is indeed a dead end, and the enemy's tactics are too unpredictable."
"To expose ourselves completely to his territory would be utterly foolish, both in terms of strategic flexibility and the sheer firepower of the enemy."
"But as Miki said, our defense system is about to collapse. If we stay here, this shelter will be bombed to pieces, and in the end, we won't even have the possibility of retreating."
He paused, glanced at the group, and finally slammed his hand on the control panel in front of him, saying in a deep voice, "Since that's the case, then let's not fight for this short-term advantage."
We're withdrawing from this area immediately!
Find a remote island to hide on, and use this time to rest and consolidate resources. Losing a battle doesn't mean the war is over; survival is the only hope. A long-term strategy is the right thing to do!
Sakata's tone was resolute, as if there was no room for negotiation.
After listening to Vice President Sakata's words, Tanaka slowly loosened his clenched fist, nodded slightly, and softened his tone a little.
Although Miki was still somewhat unwilling, he had no choice but to obey the vice president's order.
And so, with Sakata's decisive decision, the massive engine room of the ship-shaped shelter roared up once more, and everyone began to carry out the evacuation plan according to their assigned tasks.
The ship-shaped shelter moored at sea resembled a wounded sea monster; though burning, it struggled to escape towards the East China Sea, propelled by its own power.
Even at full speed, the stern still left a conspicuous trail of thick smoke, like a glaring mark streaking across the azure sea.
Mo Ming stood beside the bunker, his binoculars revealing Xiao Rizi's movements. He smiled slightly and said, "You're already chickening out? I thought you'd use your trump card!"
The shelling then ceased.
He didn't expect that the other party would not even put up a fight and would simply retreat. This action made Mo Ming even more wary, since the other party's orange-level ferocious beast had not shown itself under such intense artillery fire.
Furthermore, since no ability was used to protect the passage shelter, Mo Ming could only see two possibilities.
First, the other party may have bigger plans and doesn't want to reveal too much.
Secondly, the beast doesn't have the ability to take off and can only fight in the sea. Mo Ming is more inclined to believe the latter, since the message Meng Ling sent back was that the beast has multiple tentacles.
Mo Ming also guessed that it was a giant octopus.
Watching the ship gradually disappear from sight, Mo Ming breathed a long sigh of relief; the external threat had temporarily come to an end.