Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1281 - 1274: Perish Together

Chapter 1281: Chapter 1274: Perish Together

The Transport Plane, carrying the vanguard team members and some High-peak soldiers, quickly swept over the treetops, flying toward the direction where the Airship had crashed.

Before the Helrandum crashed, it had already flown several kilometers away from Lingyuan City. After being caught in the blast of the self-destructing Overturning Beast, it had slanted sharply into the ground, moving several more kilometers.

However, this distance was negligible in the eyes of the Transport Plane, and they soon spotted the still-smoking wreckage of the Helrandum in the distance.

Although it was a crash, the sight of the Helrandum wreckage was truly frightening. Forty percent of the ship’s body had vanished without a trace, scattered around.

This was mainly because the ammunition stored on the warship had detonated, causing such severe damage to the ship. Looking over, the ship was almost unrecognizable, reduced to a twisted, dark mass of indeterminate shape.

At that moment, Demon Clan soldiers were already moving back and forth on the ground, gathering nearby scattered items, including various metal debris and crew corpses. However, as the warship was still sporadically exploding, they did not dare approach the main body of the ship.

Stepping off the Transport Plane and onto the charred and soaked earth, the Advance Team, each with a very heavy heart, looked at the black mass of the Helrandum’s wreckage.

"I hadn’t expected that our last farewell would be forever," Luo’er sighed deeply, his voice unmistakably choked with emotion.

"Mourn with restraint. I don’t even want to witness this scene," Cheng Ziang said, patting his shoulder in consolation.

"Yeah, boss, maybe they’re not dead, look on the bright side," Hu Daoke chimed in.

"We’ve missed the prime window for golden-hour rescue. It’s been five days already. Even if they weren’t killed from the crash or the fire, they probably couldn’t have survived," Luo’er said, shaking his head.

"Anyway, let’s start looking. It would be best if we find someone. If not, we’ll take back what we can to bolster our current strength," Cheng Ziang said.

"Alright, that’s all we can do. Fula, get ready to work," Luo’er took a deep breath and nodded.

"Leave it to me," Fulajie’er responded and began the search.

"Feng, you have good perceptual skills, go see if there are any survivors," Cheng Ziang ordered.

"Understood, I’m on it!" Feng nodded expressionlessly, then joined the search party.

"Old Hu and Yue’er, look for open areas to keep watch," Cheng Ziang continued.

"Eh, don’t we need to help?" Hu Daoke asked, pointing at himself.

"No need. There are others to move things and bodies. Our main goal is to find survivors. You keep watch so we don’t get ambushed by Dongsheng’s generals."

"Okay, leave it to us!" Hu Daoke and Baiyue exchanged glances and simultaneously nodded.

"And what about me?" Tangmo asked expectantly, looking at him.

"Stay with me," Luo’er said, then looked down again, revealing a sad expression.

"Sure, I’ll search with you," Tangmo nodded, understanding Luo’er’s intention.

Though as the Captain, Luo’er shouldn’t have been so emotional, it was just his nature. And actually, no one really minded his sentimental side; they felt it allowed them to glimpse his inner self.

The Dwarven marines who had come with the Advance Team began a tense search as soon as they disembarked. Compared to the vanguard team members, their mood was even more somber, especially when they saw the bodies of their compatriots being moved and laid out on the ground; they struggled to hold back their grief, with tears welling in their eyes.

The air was still filled with the scent of burning, accompanied by the stench of corpses and the pungent smell of burning plastics.

The search and rescue team members trudged through the muddy ground, searching arduously for any possible survivors. The ground was covered in a layer of charred material, with a layer of soft mud beneath it. Walking on it, everyone quickly became dirty.

The Dwarven bodies being carried out by the Demon Clan soldiers were mostly charred, and some had died from the fall—corpses split open, organs scattered everywhere, a sight too gruesome to bear. Thus, some of the more horrific bodies had been directly buried by the Demon Clan soldiers on the spot.

Luo’er and Tangmo walked side by side, overseeing the search. A soldier from the Qingqiu Clan, seeing the two approaching, quickly straightened up and said respectfully, "Ah, esteemed lords, please accept our condolences."

"It’s alright," Luo’er waved his hand and asked, "Have you found any survivors while searching?"

"No, when we arrived, everyone was dead. We didn’t find a single living person," the Demon Clan soldier replied earnestly.

"I see..." Luo’er nodded, sighing with a touch of disappointment.

"Oh, we haven’t searched the area where the Scouring Sky Beasts fell either, but there are probably no survivors; you know, we can’t approach a Flowing Beast that’s bleeding into the Source River," a soldier of the Demon Clan tried to comfort.

"I understand, and since you all can’t get there, I guess there are no survivors," Luo’er nodded in agreement.

"Additionally..." The soldier of the Demon Clan seemed to recall something and hesitated as if unsure whether to speak.

"Additionally, what?" Luo’er pressed.

"Additionally, it seems there are Dongsheng generals lurking around here. Please be cautious, guests, and try not to split up," the soldier of the Demon Clan responded.

"Dongsheng’s generals, haven’t they retreated already?" Luo’er furrowed his brows as he spoke.

"I’m not sure," the soldier of the Demon Clan shook his head, "The Maoyou Clan’s scouts found their tracks in the forest, but we don’t know what they’re up to."

"Where did they find them?" Luo’er asked further.

"Over there!" The soldier of the Demon Clan said, pointing in the southeast direction.

"Dongsheng’s generals, could they also be interested in the Helrandum?" Luo’er fell deep into thought, murmuring with his head lowered.

"Luo’er." Tangmo, who was next to him, seemed to think of something and called him softly.

"Hmm, what is it?" Luo’er raised his head to ask.

"Do you remember," Tangmo said solemnly, "on the day of the Siege Battle, the main gun of the Helrandum shot down two Kunzhou boats?"

"I remember," Luo’er nodded in response.

"Do you also remember that the first Kunzhou boat the Helrandum shot down was hovering above the Dongsheng army and did not participate in the operation to besiege the Helrandum?" Tangmo continued to prompt.

"That is true," Luo’er thought for a moment and nodded in agreement with her.

"Then, why do you think that Kunzhou didn’t join the operation to besiege the Helrandum, yet was the first to be brought down by Captain Reimer?" Tangmo followed up with her question.

"Was it an accidental hit?" Luo’er speculated, knitting his brows.

"No, no, I don’t think Captain Reimer would make such a mistake," Tangmo firmly disagreed, shaking her head.

"What are you trying to say?" Luo’er noticed her confident demeanor and asked, curious.

"Luo’er, let me ask you, what kind of ship is the Helrandum in the fleet?" Tangmo didn’t give a straight answer but continued to tease out the question.

"The Main Battle Airship," Luo’er replied, believing it to be obvious.

"Besides that, what kind of ship is it?" Tangmo asked further.

"An aircraft carrier?" Luo’er hazarded a guess.

"What else, keep guessing!" Tangmo shook her head, prompting him to continue.

"Uh..." Luo’er was at a loss for words.

"The Helrandum is the flagship of the fleet, the command center," seeing Luo’er struggling to answer, Tangmo decided to explain proactively.

"Flagship... command center..." Upon hearing these key terms, a thought flashed through Luo’er’s brain, bringing him to a sudden realization. His eyes widened in shock as he exclaimed, "You mean, the Kunzhou that was shot down was Dongsheng army’s flagship, their command center!"

"If that’s the case, then it explains a lot," Tangmo spoke calmly, not sharing his excitement, "why the Dongsheng army would choose to retreat and abandon the Siege Battle after the Overturning Beast self-destructed and the Helrandum crashed. It’s very likely because their command system was destroyed."

"So you’re saying," Luo’er had an epiphany, "that day it was an even exchange—the Helrandum destroyed Dongsheng army’s command system, but it was also affected by the Scouring Sky Beast’s self-destruction, leading to its own crash."

"That’s probably the real reason for the Dongsheng army’s retreat. If their command system hadn’t been compromised, even after the Overturning Beast’s self-destruction and the crash of the Helrandum along with more than thirty Kunzhou, the Dongsheng army would most likely not have given up the siege," Tangmo analyzed.