Swish! The alloy door behind them shut close. Next, the hatch for Passage 13 opened up. The corridor lost its atmosphere as air rapidly escaped outwards. However, the people were unaffected, held in place by the starship's artificial gravity.
The passageway was long, and it was dark outside, in outer space. They waited anxiously for the red-tailed beasts to arrive.
While they could not understand how their instructor was so certain that the creatures would come this way, they prepared themselves nonetheless.
"Get ready!" The instructor's voice came through their comms, his low voice magically calming their hearts.
The passageway darkened, and all five mechs took a step forward.
Three red-tailed beasts entered the passageway in a straight line, moving quickly.
Xi Qing understood his role in their first line of defense. As the leader of his squad, he must be the main attacker . He was at the front of the squad, the most dangerous position.
They were fast! Even though they were informed earlier, the speed of these creatures still surprised him. The creatures were over 10 meters tall, with crimson red eyes and a tail with a red tip that trailed behind them like an asteroid. Xi Qing had seen them before on the news many times, but it was still fearfully choked now that he was facing them in the flesh.
He did not panic, however. No longer was he the young freshie that he used to be. Even with just one time of real life combat experience, he was now more mature than many of his peers. His D-6 lowered itself and crossed its two weapons, forming a blocking motion. He did not guard his flanks, since his comrades would. His instructor had told them that once their partners were with them, they should be trusted. He remembered this well enough.
Klang! A strong blow landed on the two curved blades as Xi Qing's mech was pushed behind, but he managed to slow down his opponent at the same time. Everyone there knew the power of a high speed attack. Only when the red-tailed beasts slow down would his comrades have a chance.
In that moment, the two D-6's beside Xi Qing lunged forward towards the attacking red-tailed beast, slowed down by Xi Qing. They restrained the creature from attacking Xi Qing.
The other two red-tailed beasts slowed down as well, hindered by the first one in the front. The passageway was too narrow for them to take advantage of their agility.
Ye Chong had chosen this battleground after much thought. The red-tailed beasts could move far more deftly than mechs. If it was too spacious, the students would face a very challenging fight. Ye Chong himself had experienced it first hand. In the narrow passageway, the red-tailed beasts would not be able to make full use of this advantage. It would be a battle of brute force. A mech's exterior were more durable than the skin of a red-tailed beast. So long as no vulnerable parts were hit, the mech could be repaired and ready for the next battle.
The narrow terrain could not fit in too many mechs and red-tailed beasts together. Besides, Ye Chong did not have enough manpower anyway. This would allow them to survive longer.
On the other hand, once Passage 13 was under their control, they could sever communications between the red-tailed beasts within and outside of the passageway since Passage 13 was heavily fortified.
There was also another important detail. There was artificial gravity inside the starship, unlike the floating sensation in outer space. This meant that Ye Chong could join in the fight with Muscle Man. Muscle Man could only fight on the ground, a disadvantage that Ye Chong was painfully aware of. However, he dared not use Han Jia. Han Jia had many small cracks on it. Using the mech without prior maintenance would very likely open the cracks even wider. Ye Chong did not know if Gray Valley had any skeletal material, but to find skeletal material of the quality found in Archipelago would almost definitely be impossible. Besides, Ye Chong had spent so much time training with Muscle Man. It felt like a waste if he could not use it. He knew that the students were still greenhorns, and those mech pilots could barely contribute to the fight. This made him the strongest combat personnel they had. It was one of the reasons Ye Chong thought of this brilliant idea. Passage 13 was not the only passageway that was modified.
To make the red-tailed beasts enter Passage 13 obediently, Ye Chong had stored a large amount of energy cells behind him. He knew that these terrifying creatures craved for pure energy. The six-fingered red-tailed beast that he pursued some time ago seemed to be able to sense energy ores in rocks. Ye Chong was not sure if these normal red-tailed beasts would be just as sensitive, but now it looked like it was working.
In the battleground, three red-tailed beasts and five mechs were deep in their fight. The hatch behind the red-tailed beasts was closed. In other words, the creatures were trapped inside. Despite that, no one relaxed. The three red-tailed beasts fought powerfully as they tried to break through the surrounding formation of the five mechs in quick, agile movements. The red-tipped tails hit violently against the mechs' weapons, a scary sight for the mech pilots who were watching from outside the fight. However, these five mechs managed to keep the three red-tailed beasts contained throughout it all.
From their initial awkwardness, these five mechs were now beginning to get the hang of the battle. While they were initially overpowered, now they could force the battle into a stalemate. Xi Qing was still the main attacker while the other D-6's covered him, trading places as they made sure each red-tailed beast was at least engaged by two mechs at a time.
Ye Chong watched the battle, quietly approving of his students. He could see that Xi Qing was already in the flow of the battle. Ye Chong recognized him as a talent, had spent more time on him than the other students and offered him more guidance.
Xi Qing fought with simple but effective moves, almost like Ye Chong. While he was the main assault member, he was also the squad's leader. This required him to see the bigger picture of the battle. Now, he was doing just that competently.
He used the advantage of his role as main attacker to move around freely, and swapped places with the four mechs as required. He did not target any particular red-tailed beast, but instead continued to distribute their attacks equally on all three of the creatures. He led outstandingly, allowing his squad members to coordinate smoothly with each other and press on their enemies with their numbers.
With this, they slowly turned the tables and gained the upper hand. The red-tailed beasts seemed to notice that the hatch behind them was shut, and began to look nervous. The way they looked at the energy cells longingly was noticed by Ye Chong.
The battle was beginning to be favor Xi Qing and his squad.
The battle situation was unexpected. The red-tailed beasts were rumored to be very strong, and the fact the frontline was defeated made these creatures look even more intimidating. Now, however, they looked like they were only about as strong as some advanced mech pilot. Could the rumors be mistaken? Then why would be the soldiers at the frontline lose? Or was it because the combat strategy that their instructor taught them was too good?
The young mech pilots could not help but steal a glance at the clumsy Muscle Man. Muscle Man held his position steadily like an unmovable mountain. The cold, bulky machine looked lifeless. The pilot within did not seem inclined to get involved in the fight.
The five mechs fought with growing momentum, while the three red-tailed beasts were starting to panic.
Xi Qing's D-6 suddenly came out of its safe position amongst the other four mechs. It twisted around to the back of one of the red-tailed beasts engaged with two D-6's and striked out with its two curved blades towards the creature.
Blood splattered. An X-shaped wound was carved into the back of the red-tailed beast. The creature froze in pain, and the two mechs engaging it took the opening. Four curved blades came for the red-tailed beast from four odd angles. The creature tried to avoid them, but was still cut open on its left shoulder. It froze again in pain, and this when its throat was fully exposed for Xi Qing.
Xi Qing recognized the opportunity. He maneuvered his mech calmly, driving the curved blade in his hand towards the creature's throat!
Blood sprayed out like a blooming flower. With his target eliminated, Xi Qing ignored the red-tailed beast that was now crumpling down backwards and head towards the other four mechs.
The other two red-tailed beasts flared as they saw their companion killed, and dashed towards Xi Qing, trying to stop him from returning to the protection of his comrades.
However, just as they moved, four blades glimmered coldly before them, and stopped them in their tracks. Two of the mechs had seen Xi Qing in danger and came forward to assist.
With that, Xi Qing returned to his squad.
As he reunited with his squad, Xi Qing quickly slipped behind two of the D-6's. His own D-6 moved behind and between the two mechs, taking his position per their strategy. As Xi Qing moved, the other two mechs adjusted their positions, going into proper formation.
It all happened so quickly, but it was also the turning point of the battle. Under Xi Qing's leadership, the remaining two red-tailed beasts were handled steadily by the five D-6's without rushing their attacks. With one red-tailed beast down, the other two soon failed to defend themselves, and died one after the other under the the attacks of the five mechs.
The five students had killed three red-tailed beasts!
Five students had killed three red-tailed beasts, without incurring a single casualty - this was something that happened right before everyone's eyes, but it still felt like a dream, impossible to believe. For the moment, everyone felt a little uncertain.