Cave Refuge

Zachary followed the crowd to the top level of the transport craft. Besides those with special abilities, the staff persuaded all Martial Artists below the Energy Refining Realm to return to their seats, leaving only those above the Energy Refining Realm.

Nowadays, Martial Artists in the Path Entry Realm were extremely rare, so those who remained had cultivation levels that were essentially in the Energy Refining Realm.

Zachary never expected that the captain’s so-called assistance in repelling the enemy would actually involve issuing each Martial Artist a sniper rifle and then opening the transport’s rooftop skylights so that the Martial Artists could stick their upper bodies out and snipe at the unidentified flying creatures attacking the transport.

After the staff finished explaining, Zachary finally understood why the Martial Artists below the Energy Refining Realm had been persuaded to go back to their seats.

Although the captain would reduce the flight speed, even so, the physical condition of Martial Artists below the Energy Refining Realm simply did not allow for such an action.

If they really tried, let alone aiming and shooting, just sticking their bodies out of the skylight would likely result in the wind resistance generated during flight splitting them in half at the waist.

Although there weren’t many skylights on top of the transport, there were even fewer Martial Artists in the Energy Refining Realm, and there was more than enough room for each person to be assigned a skylight position. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

The Martial Artists in the Energy Refining Realm had varied expressions when they heard about this method of assistance in defense, but everyone understood that things were different now compared to before the disaster; before, if a plane had an accident, one could choose to parachute out.

But now that the transport was being attacked by flying monsters, parachuting would be like serving themselves up as a meal to those creatures. Even though they were Martial Artists in the Energy Refining Realm, without the ability to move in the sky and relying only on parachutes for survival, their best course of action was to ensure the safety of the transport.

Zachary looked at the sniper rifle’s barrel, as thick as a small arm; calling it a rifle was a bit of a misnomer, it was more appropriate to call it a sniper cannon, and the ammunition it used was similarly large.

Although the sniper rifle in his hand also used a firing pin mechanism, the shooting method was more like that of a World War II rifle, requiring the removal of the huge spent cartridge after each shot and then reloading the ammunition.

The staff first handed out ten rounds of ammunition to each person and then said to Zachary and the others, "The flying creatures ramming against the transport number just over ten, so not only will you need to fasten your seat belts, but you’ll also need to wear the body stabilizers at the skylight.

The captain might make some unconventional flight maneuvers to help you find a shooting angle, so make sure the safety equipment is well secured. Otherwise, it might not be good if the captain’s stunts throw you out of the craft.

Also, you can fire at will later, don’t worry about running out of bullets. If you don’t have enough, tell me, and I’ll find a way to get them to you."

After the staff member finished speaking, the staff behind him not only brought out specially made bullet belts to facilitate carrying ammunition but also carefully tied them onto every Martial Artist in the Energy Refining Realm, and thoroughly checked whether the safety ropes on the Martial Artists were securely fastened.

Once everything was ready, the staff led Zachary and the others to a specially modified area on the top level.

From the fact that they had transformed this area into a fixed facility of the transport, it was apparent that these sorts of incidents were common for them, otherwise, they wouldn’t have specially modified this section.

Once everyone was prepared, the cover on the top of the transport slowly opened, and the sudden increase in suction force crazily pulled everyone’s bodies out. Thankfully, they had secured their bodies in advance, which allowed them to stretch half of their bodies out of the cover with this suction force.

At this moment, Zachary’s position was like that of a wedding videographer from before the disaster, sticking half out of the skylight and filming the wedding car with a video camera.

Only, the videographer used a camera, filming the bride and groom and the wedding car, while Zachary was using a sniper rifle, aiming at the ancient creatures hovering near the transport in the sky.

As the Martial Artists prepared for the counter-attack, the transport’s pilot began to incessantly raise or lower the craft, using various methods to create suitable shooting angles for Zachary and the others.

When the transport emerged from the clouds, Zachary and the others saw the appearance of the ancient creatures attacking the transport. They had slender heads with what looked like a mosquito-like sharp proboscis, and the closed sharp proboscis reflected a glossy brown color on the surface.

Their hairless wings resembled the wings of a bat, with two strong large thighs, and hiding sharp little claws on their chest and abdomen. If it weren’t for their unusually shaped heads, Zachary might have thought they shared some blood relation to bats.

These monsters attacked in the most primitive fashion, with their long, sharp proboscises directly hitting the transport’s casing.

Common sense would suggest that even if a bird’s beak was hard, it was still an organ of a corporeal body, which upon colliding with the special alloy shell of the transport, would undoubtedly be like an egg striking a rock—a complete mismatch of force.

However, for some unknown reason, these flying creatures’ proboscises were exceptionally hard; not only did they not get damaged with each collision, but they also left specks of dents in the transport’s casing.

Using Divine Sense, Zachary carefully examined the surface of the transport and discovered that what seemed to be the normal casing now bore countless dents, making it look as pitted as the bottom of a Zhangqiu iron pot.