Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1223 - 1216: Tian Beast Attack

Chapter 1223: Chapter 1216: Tian Beast Attack

The fleet continued to sail eastward, and the flagship Helrandum received daily transports of Magic Crystals from the supply ships to maintain its buoyancy and propulsion.

Thirty days flew by, and by this point, even magic messengers were unable to relay messages, leaving them unsure if something at sea was causing the disruption.

Below the fleet stretched an endless sea, where not even a single island, let alone a landmass, had been sighted throughout their journey.

According to the fleet’s maximum radius reserves, they had to return in about half a month, or else they would risk crashing.

Over the thirty days, Zhuyan Yu and his companions had gone from initial excitement to subsequent calm, and now to disappointment. Those who had firmly believed there must be a continent to the east were now forced to accept the truth that either they were off course or not far enough.

After discussing with Reimer, they had to return in about ten days regardless of whether they found a continent or not; safety was of the utmost importance. They could not afford to return only after reaching their maximum radius, as the risks were too great.

Another ten days passed, and just when everyone thought all hope was lost, suddenly, they received a report from the forward reconnaissance aircraft. The report claimed that land had been spotted about ten kilometers ahead, which meant they had likely found the East Continent.

Once the news spread, it instantly ignited the excitement among the crew, like lighting a keg of gunpowder. Zhuyan Yu and his group, thrilled, rushed to the bridge, awaiting good news from the reconnaissance aircraft.

Soon, the fleet saw land emerging on the horizon, unlike the azure sea. And by then, the aircraft in front had generally scoped out the area and continued to report good news: what they had discovered was not likely a large island but a true continent. This meant that they might have found the legendary East Continent.

Amidst the cheering crowd, the fleet flew over the land, and gazing at the lush vegetation below, Zhuyan Yu was so excited he nearly burst into tears. Taran leaned into Baiyue’s side, staring blankly at the land below. The endless forest seemingly stirred distant memories in his mind.

While everyone was overwhelmed with excitement, the reconnaissance aircraft transmitted uncertain news: a gigantic airborne creature was spotted in the southwestern sky, flying towards the fleet.

"A giant airborne creature, an Overturning Beast?" Zhuyan Yu couldn’t help but exclaim in shock.

"Order the reconnaissance aircraft to maintain surveillance and track the target. Command all the fighters to take off and prepare to intercept the target. Order all anti-aircraft guns to be ready for firing!" Captain Reimer issued his orders calmly.

"Wait, let’s make sure it’s an enemy first; it might just be passing through," Luo’er urgently pleaded.

In his memory, the Overturning Beast was supposed to be a mild-tempered species and shouldn’t attack aerial targets without provocation.

"We can’t take such risks with dangerous actions. We have to prepare for combat first, then we can attempt to communicate," Reimer said with a serious face.

Every five minutes, the reconnaissance aircraft would send a report, but each report tensed the crew, as the target still seemed to be heading straight for the fleet without changing course. Quickly, the large creature entered visual range, and the crew could see it with the naked eye.

This was an Overturning Beast, Zhuyan Yu was certain. The remains of an Overturning Beast that the Advance Team had recorded had been repaired and simulated by the supercomputer, and the image matched this enormous creature.

It had four massive ventral fins on its sides, and its head was an inverted triangle shape. Its size seemed colossal, even larger than the Helrandum itself. Compared to it, the reconnaissance aircraft looked like flies buzzing around it.

The appearance of the Overturning Beast surprised not only Luo’er and the others but Captain Reimer as well. Before, he had located the Overturning Beast at high altitudes, but they were now at a low altitude, just over a thousand meters above the ground. Such a low altitude encounter with an Overturning Beast was incredibly surprising to Reimer.

At this moment, all ten of Helrandum’s fighter jets had taken to the sky, forming a protective formation as they accompanied the fleet’s slow flight. Although Helrandum was a carrier cruiser, it was more of a cruiser, with limited carrier-based aircraft, less than twenty. The warship’s principal dependency was its hundreds of various caliber guns.

The fleet continued to fly eastward while the Overturning Beast flew from southeast to northwest. Unless something unexpected happened, the two groups would pass by each other without incident in ten minutes, leaving each other undisturbed.

Moreover, judging by the situation at the scene, the Overturning Beast seemed very tranquil, completely indifferent to the reconnaissance aircraft buzzing around, and continued on its way.

Its flanks showed gill slits opening and closing continuously, seemingly confirming the Advance Team’s previous speculation that the Overturning Beast might be flying by generating backward thrust through its gills.

Just when everyone thought there would be no trouble, something unexpected happened. The Overturning Beast, upon catching sight of the fleet, immediately let out a massive wail, then quickly changed course, heading straight for the fleet’s flagship, Helrandum.

"Confirm hostility, confirm hostility, fire at will, fire at will, scatter the fleet, prepare to intercept!" Captain Reimer immediately ordered loudly.

"Please wait!" Luo’er couldn’t help but cry out involuntarily.

"Wait for what, Captain Luo’er, what are you trying to say?" Reimer turned around and asked with a frown, his tone sounding more like a challenge.

"No, nothing, please be cautious with attack orders," Luo’er wanted to say something but found himself at a loss for words; he could only clench his fists and wave his hand dismissively.

He was hopeful the fleet could establish communication with the Overturning Beast to confirm each other’s intentions. He believed that the Overturning Beast, a creature of mild disposition, would not attack the fleet without cause, and clearly, there had to be some misunderstanding.

However, he also knew that regardless of whether there was a misunderstanding, now that the Overturning Beast had shown such clear signs of aggression, the fleet would be in serious trouble if it didn’t open fire and the creature managed to bring down the warship.

"All hands, fire!" Reimer turned back and ordered loudly.

At the captain’s command, the fleet immediately dispersed, as four supply ships began to move away in all directions, clearing space for Helrandum to engage in combat. At the same time, the already airborne carrier-based fighter jets commenced firing at the Overturning Beast.

The fighter jets, equipped with machine guns and rockets, bombarded the Overturning Beast with a mix of machine-gun fire and rocket hits, filling the air with constant explosions. The machine-gun bullets hitting the Overturning Beast seemed as ineffective as pebbles against a stone, but the explosions from the rockets were indeed powerful, as the beast struggled to evade the incoming fire.

Subsequently, the Helrandum began to ascend and attacked the Overturning Beast with the anti-aircraft guns on its upper hull while climbing. Giant flames burst open on the creature’s body with evident effect.

While the Helrandum was the latest class of warship from the High-peak people, it lacked large-caliber anti-aircraft guns as the High-peak people were virtually unrivaled on the Otherworld Continent, making such weapons unnecessary.

Reimer’s intent was clear: to have Helrandum keep ascending, using the lower layer’s ground guns for a devastating strike on the Overturning Beast. The ground guns on the lower levels were considerably more powerful than the weaker anti-aircraft guns above.

With the fighter jets’ harassment, the Overturning Beast was having a tough time, unable to effectively target the Helrandum, which slowly rose until its ground guns could fully envelop the creature within their firing range.

At this moment, the Overturning Beast was less than a hundred meters from Helrandum—a very dangerous distance for such behemoths. Since it was over fifty meters shorter than Helrandum, most of the ground guns could reach it.

All ground guns were ready, awaiting Reimer’s command, at which point the dense barrage would pour down upon the Overturning Beast’s back.