The seemingly strange and mysterious power from the crystal ball had no blocking effect at all. A terrifying, silent green beam of light instantly penetrated the layers of rippling, colorful energy. It hit the chest of the bull-headed monster, Agger, with perfect, sizzling precision.
"This is impossible, this is..."
The creature, who had been full of primal confidence just a second before, suddenly opened his blood-red eyes wide. A shocked, hissing stream of hot air spurted from his huge nostrils. He subconsciously uttered an unbelievable, choked cry.
At the same time, the crystal ball in his palm, still emitting its brilliant, nauseating colorful light, pulsed. It was about to undergo more strange changes.
But it was far too late.
Another beam, and another. One after another, green beams of light kept bombarding the bull-headed monster's body. In the blink of an eye, he was simply undone, evaporated from existence.
Accompanied by the faint, fading glow of green atoms that were still dissipating, the crystal ball suddenly dimmed, its internal light extinguished. It clattered to the wooden floor, the sound unnaturally loud in the suddenly silent room. It slowly rolled to a stop near an incomplete corpse, its surface now covered with dirty, congealing blood.
Nolan, holding the Gauss blaster, rolled his neck left and right, the armor's joints hissing quietly. A dull, amplified voice came from inside his helmet, laced with cold contempt.
"You are so brave, eating a human in front of me."
Then, he took heavy steps. THUD... THUD...
He stepped on the blood and flesh, the gore sucking at his boots, and walked to the center of the room, the air thick with the smell of ozone and slaughter.
Nolan looked down at the dim, inert crystal ball. He picked it up carefully, his huge red gauntlet looking clumsy as it cradled the small object. He looked at it for a few moments, turning it over, his helmet's sensors scanning it. A strange item that the bull-headed monster Agger could have used to turn the tables was worth a careful look.
However, he examined it for a long time but did not find anything strange. It felt like simple, dead glass.
Nolan had to throw the crystal ball into the ammunition bag at his waist, a heavy thunk as it landed, saving it for later research.
After scanning the bloody, reeking private cabin again, Nolan moved to the desk. He ripped all the computer hard drives from under Agger's desk with a single, powerful wrenching motion and threw them into the ammunition bag as well.
Then, he raised his glove.
He tapped the helmet with his fingertips and asked over the communication channel:
"David, the mission target has been annihilated. Do you need help?"
At this moment, David seemed to be still fighting. The sounds of high-velocity maneuvers and laser fire screamed in the background. He said nothing in response to Nolan's question.
Nolan, who had no time to continue exploring, picked up the Gauss blaster again. He turned and ran back to the top deck, his heavy footsteps pounding through the ruined corridor.
He changed the communication channel and ordered Jessica, his voice sharp:
"Jessica, the mission is completed. Prepare to evacuate."
"Ah? Boss, I just evacuated some crew members!" Her voice was high, breathless with adrenaline. "There are still many enemies hiding in the lower cabin."
After listening to Jessica's report, Nolan, who was running, immediately replied, not breaking stride:
"Don't go deep, don't get entangled with them. Return to the deck immediately. David may need support!"
At this moment, driving the electronic bundles, Nolan rushed like a bull back through the broken hatch.
He was on the top deck again, the cold, salty wind hitting him.
He suddenly raised his head, staring at the dark night sky through his helmet's visor. The Gauss blaster in his huge glove was slightly raised, ready to fire. Even the blinding bombs hanging on his waist were ready to be thrown, his other hand hovering over them.
However, just as he braced for a new threat, accompanied by the terrifying light of a laser cannon in the night sky and the victorious-sounding low hum of a vector engine, a corpse burned to charcoal suddenly fell from the sky.
THUD-SPLAT.
It landed directly on the deck not far away, a messy, smoking heap.
At the same time, the Valkyrie transport plane swung its wings back and forth, dipping them in salute, as if showing off. It flew low over the brightly lit cruise ship.
"My Lord, it's done!"
David's mechanical voice sounded again from the communication channel. It seemed to be full of complacent emotional fluctuations.
At this moment, Nolan slowly exhaled, a hiss of steam in the cold night air. He stared at the metal figure of the Valkyrie as it climbed quickly, and said lightly, his voice dry:
"David, save fuel. You don't want to swim back to land, do you?"
"Uh... Yes, my Lord." The showboating instantly ceased.
The next moment, Nolan, standing on the deck, straightened his back. He seemed to relax a lot, his shoulders dropping a fraction. He could hear the shouts of the crew members coming from the rear of the cruise ship, and the noisy sound of lifeboats splashing into the water.
Not long after, the slight clang of white-and-gold combat armor came from nearby.
Nolan turned his head and looked.
Jessica, holding the Hellgun in both hands, was running quickly toward his position. From her determined movements and excited, if unsteady, steps, it seemed she had gradually adapted to the atmosphere on the battlefield.
"Well. The mission was a complete success."
Nolan, who narrowed his cyan wolf eyes inside the helmet, murmured subconsciously.
Accompanied by the roar of the Valkyrie transport plane's engine, the craft hovered, its ramp down.
Standing at the door of the cabin, Nolan stared at the deck of the Minotaur as it grew more distant.
Just behind him, Jessica, who had just taken off her helmet, wiped the sweat from her forehead with a trembling hand, gathering her short, damp hair. Her bright eyes blinked quickly a few times, and she looked down at her still-shaking hands. The adrenaline was fading. She gradually took deep breaths, her chest heaving, to calm her emotions.
At this moment, five bright lights once again crossed the dark night sky. David's second salvo.
They fell towards the large cruise ship.
This time, the cruise missiles successfully hit their target without any obstruction.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM!
Terrifying explosions and flying debris completely destroyed most of the Minotaur's structure. Fire licked up into the night. A large amount of cold sea water poured into the gradually cracking hull, slowly dragging the heavy ship to the bottom of the sea.
On the nearby water, the crew members on the lifeboats paddled in great fear, their screams lost in the roar. They kept shouting, trying to escape the terrifying vortex that was about to appear.
On the Valkyrie that was gradually flying away, Nolan, his face expressionless, also took off his helmet. He sniffed the salty sea breeze and stared at the sinking cruise ship, watching the lights go out, one by one.
He closed the cabin door casually, shutting out the sound and the cold.
Nolan looked back at Jessica, who was still in a daze, strapped into her seat. He lowered his head and thought for a while. He did not go forward to disturb her.
Then, Nolan entered the cockpit.
He looked at David's back, thought for a moment, and said:
"David, thank you for breaking the rules. Otherwise, it would not have been so easy for us to deal with that flying enemy."
David shook his metal head slightly. The blue light in his eye sockets kept flashing, reflecting on the cockpit glass, as he controlled the Valkyrie.
"My Lord, this is my duty. Moreover, the other party was obviously killed by the Valkyrie's machine soul. It was not me, David, who did it myself. So this is not considered a violation of the rules, don't you think?"
"Haha... you're right."
Nolan, who narrowed his cyan wolf eyes, smiled slightly. He raised his huge red boxing gloves and gently patted David's metal shoulder.
After the two briefly confirmed the time it would take to get home, Nolan, having successfully appeased David, turned and returned to the cabin.
He chose a corner to sit down, the armor groaning as he settled in.
Just as he was about to close his eyes and rest for a while, he suddenly remembered something.
Nolan looked at Jessica, who had fallen asleep in her seat, her head slumped against the bulkhead, her face pale but peaceful.
He reopened the simulator page.
He just remembered the ordinary salvage he had started before the operation.
At this moment, the countdown for the tenth round of salvage had already been completed, waiting for Nolan to check.