Chapter 102: Finding Survivors!

"Fuel cells, pulse cables, attenuators, couplers..."

After setting off, Zhou Yuan slowed his pace and fell to the back of the team, glancing at the combat device on his wrist.

Claire needed a lot of things, a total of fifteen items, and that was just a preliminary estimate. The final count might be even higher.

He speculated that they might really have to wait for rescue this time.

The Feimei, which had been missing for a whole week, was probably in a worse condition than they were today. There probably wouldn't be many usable parts left.

"Let's go, our target is the Feimei."

After reviewing the list of parts, Zhou Yuan gently placed the combat device behind an ice rock.

In the next moment, the combat device transformed into a laser bird and disappeared into the ice thorn forest.

The mecha suit came with built-in combat equipment, and most of it was integrated, so the laser bird didn't have many options for its daily transformations, only able to mimic the appearance of a regular combat device.

"Captain, we have a situation."

"There's a group of new insect species on the right flank, numbering around a hundred. They've spotted us."

Ten minutes later, the team finally encountered the enemy.

More firefly insects arrived, or rather, it should be said that they intruded into the territory of the firefly insects.

"Save ammunition and shoot when they get closer."

Zhou Yuan ordered softly, while he himself walked to the front of the team and started picking off the enemies with his gauss rifle.

It would take Marcus at least 150 minutes to discover their disappearance.

And even if Marcus came with his team, it would still take at least 180 minutes.

Three hours wasn't a short time, and considering this was an insect planet, they had to be careful with their shots and save ammunition in case of any accidents.

[Killed one firefly insect, gained 6 souls.]

[Killed one firefly insect, gained 6 souls.]

[Killed one firefly insect...]

With the amplification of the "insecticide," the soul points of the firefly insects increased from 5 to 6.

Coupled with the fact that there were over a hundred of these firefly insects, they liked to gather together during flight, and every shot hit its mark, the feeling of fighting them was quite enjoyable.

By the time they entered the team's optimal shooting range, the number had already decreased to around fifty or sixty.

"Fire!"

At this moment, Zhou Yuan waved his hand heavily and gave the order again.

The combined firepower of the seven team members instantly broke the enemy's front, causing the group of firefly insects to scatter and flee in all directions.

"Continue forward."

Zhou Yuan remained calm and waved his hand indifferently.

In fact, firefly insects were not low in danger, but their misfortune was that they encountered a team equipped with space armor, rendering their long-range attacks completely useless.

...

"Sir, we've found the Feimei."

"The external damage to the Feimei is severe. The extent of internal damage is unknown. There are two survivors in the cockpit, and the status of the passenger cabin is unclear."

"There are traces of a small-scale battlefield near the Feimei, and we have discovered five corpses of mobile infantry and over a hundred bug corpses."

After a few more minutes of walking, Zhou Yuan received the intelligence from the laser bird.

"Very good!"

Upon hearing that there were survivors, Zhou Yuan's lips curled up, and his mood improved significantly. This time, Captain Zhou didn't mess up like before; he specifically came to rescue the missing individuals. 

Thirty minutes later, Zhou Yuan spotted the "Fei Mei" craft. It had crash-landed in a snow valley, with them currently on the left slope of the valley. The Fei Mei was a basic transport ship, resembling an oversized matchbox with wings. Its defense level was much lower than the specialized research department's transport aircraft. From the outside, the Fei Mei was severely damaged, with both wings completely missing and multiple collision marks on its fuselage. It looked like a squashed cigarette box. However, the main body of the Fei Mei was intact, without any visible breaches. The internal situation should not be irreparable. 

"They have been through a major battle!"

"The situation doesn't look good. I can already see severed limbs."

"I didn't expect so many insectoid creatures here. This is trouble."

As the team observed the situation in the snow valley, a solemn exchange of words echoed within their ranks. The battlefield traces near the Fei Mei indicated that this small asteroid was the territory of the Arachnis insectoid race. And the people aboard the Fei Mei had already suffered casualties in their fight against the insectoid swarm; they had most likely arrived too late.

"There are people!"

"Captain, I see someone in the cockpit!"

At that moment, Raisa, responsible for reconnaissance within the team, excitedly whispered. 

"Go and check, but be cautious."

Zhou Yuan had already known about the situation on the Fei Mei during their journey. He quietly issued the order. He had received new intelligence from a laser bird, stating that there were a total of six survivors aboard the Fei Mei: one pilot, two infantry, and three miners.

"Boom!"

Just as the team was about to climb over the slope and enter the snow valley, a muffled explosion sounded, shaking the ground beneath them.

"Stay put!"

The explosion was so loud that it drowned out any human shouting. Zhou Yuan had no choice but to signal for the team to stop.

"An earthquake?"

Zhou Yuan initially thought it was an earthquake, but quickly shook his head. The diameter of this small asteroid was around 500 kilometers, and it wouldn't have accumulated enough energy for an earthquake. It was more likely a collision with another small asteroid. After all, this was an asteroid belt, and in every direction, there were asteroids of various sizes.

Soon, the earthquake-like tremors subsided. The seismic waves were not particularly strong, and the duration of the earthquake reaction was less than ten seconds.

"Raisa, try to contact them."

"The others, check the surroundings and report immediately if you encounter any insects."

Zhou Yuan dismissed the idea of entering the valley directly and gestured for his team to use their communicators to contact the Fei Mei. Although the earthquake wasn't significant, it was enough to wake up any bugs that were sleeping in their nests.

"There, Captain!"

Raisa acknowledged and then whispered on a small frequency channel, "This is the Defense Force of the Pluto Coastline Fortress Research Department. Can anyone hear us?"

"This is the Defense Force of the Pluto Coastline Fortress Research Department. Can anyone hear us?"

"...eceiving... This is...go."

Immediately after Raisa finished speaking, they received a reply. However, the signal was weak, and even though they were only two hundred meters away from the Fei Mei, the communication was barely audible.

"Captain, there are no bugs in visible range."

While Raisa was contacting the Fei Mei, the other team members also reported to Zhou Yuan.

"Advance faster."

After making the team wait for a while, Zhou Yuan ordered them to move closer to the Fei Mei. He didn't want to use the Fei Mei as bait, but the risk of directly entering the valley was too great. It was better to establish a secure perimeter than to be surrounded by bugs.