Chapter 123: Receiving Alien Assistance

After a short while, the aliens were driven back, and Chu Xiao and his team breathed a sigh of relief. The green aliens also bid farewell to Chu Xiao after expressing their gratitude.

"You really live up to your reputation as a war hero, staying so calm in the face of such a situation!"

"Captain Wang, please don't flatter me. You are an aerospace hero yourself; we each have our own strengths."

Afterward, Chu Xiao and his team continued to descend into the pit to cut the meteorite. After some time, seeing that everyone was exhausted, Chu Xiao decided they should return to rest before coming back.

Just as they neared the space capsule, they saw the red aliens from earlier attacking three of their crew members. It turned out that their retreat had been a ruse to destroy the capsule. The aliens had realized that the capsule was the crew's only means of escape. With the three crew members struggling to defend it, the situation was dire.

"Attack! Protect the capsule!"

Everyone opened fire, but there were too many aliens, and they were charging forward with desperate intensity. Wang Yan, caught off guard, was tackled by an alien. Just as the creature raised its weapon to strike her, Chu Xiao fired, hitting the alien directly in the head.

Wang Yan sat on the ground, continuing to fire at the aliens as Chu Xiao moved toward her, picking off the creatures that rushed at her one by one. When Chu Xiao reached her to help her up, he discovered she had twisted her ankle. Suddenly, a massive stone flew through the air toward them. Chu Xiao quickly scooped Wang Yan up and dashed to the side. As she looked up at him from his arms, Wang Yan felt an overwhelming sense of safety. After all, she was only a woman in her twenties. Who could resist a man who would risk his life for her in such a crisis?

Just as Chu Xiao and the others were on the verge of being overwhelmed and the aliens were closing in to destroy the capsule, the green aliens returned to support them, quickly driving the red ones away. Chu Xiao cupped his hands in a gesture of thanks.

"What a narrow escape. Who would have thought these aliens would turn around and help us? They actually understand the concept of reciprocating kindness."

Without them, Chu Xiao and his team would likely have been stranded on this planet forever, destined to freeze, starve, or die of thirst.

"This planet must have only recently developed life; they haven't fully evolved yet. They are similar to our human ancestors, the apes. They have their own thoughts and language, just one we can't understand."

Wang Yan explained this to the other astronauts, though she admitted it was merely a guess. Perhaps in a few thousand or tens of thousands of years, they would be just like us.

"Alright, everyone, hurry and get some rest. We have more work to do later, so let's try to get back as soon as possible!"

Wang Yan ordered everyone to eat and sleep for five hours, while she and Chu Xiao stood guard to prevent another surprise attack.

"That won't do, Captain. Since we arrived on this planet, you and General Chu haven't had a proper rest. Let us take turns on duty this time, and you two get some sleep!"

"Yes, Captain. Go and rest; leave this to us!"

Seeing the dark circles under their eyes, the team felt bad and wanted to share the burden; after all, their leaders were not made of iron.

"Go and sleep. I will keep watch; if there is any situation, I will call you."

Chu Xiao insisted they rest, noting that they would have their own tasks during the journey home, and since he couldn't pilot the capsule, he could rest during the flight. Seeing his resolve, Wang Yan stopped arguing and told everyone to get some sleep and wake up in five hours to resume work.

"Captain Wang, how is your foot? Is it feeling any better?"

"It’s fine, much better now. General Chu, you are older than me; may I call you Brother Xiao?"

Wang Yan felt she had fallen for Chu Xiao and wanted to grow closer to him. Even though she knew he had someone he cared for, she couldn't suppress her feelings.

Chu Xiao hesitated for a moment before replying, "Of course. It is my honor to have such an outstanding younger sister."

"Then, Brother Xiao, don't call me Captain Wang anymore. Call me Yanzi; that's what my family calls me."

Chu Xiao didn't overthink it and agreed. He brought her some food and told her to eat and get some rest.

"Why did you save me when it was so dangerous back there?"

"On the battlefield, you are my comrade-in-arms. I would have done the same for anyone."

Wang Yan was slightly disappointed by his answer but didn't show it. To others, she was a strong, independent woman, but in front of Chu Xiao, she was nothing more than a delicate girl.

"Go inside and rest. Getting home depends on you!"

Wang Yan didn't want to go in; she wanted to keep chatting with Chu Xiao. However, she was truly exhausted, and her eyes were struggling to stay open, so she stood up and headed into the capsule.

As the weather grew colder, Chu Xiao began to pace back and forth to keep warm. Time passed quickly, and soon Wang Yan woke the others. She wanted Chu Xiao to stay in the capsule to rest and leave three people to guard it, but Chu Xiao was worried about the team and insisted on going with them. He was conflicted, as he was equally worried about the safety of the capsule.

"If there is an attack, fire this flare gun immediately, and we will return to support you as soon as possible!"

Chu Xiao left a flare gun with the three crew members so they could signal for help if the capsule was in danger.

When the group reached the meteorite pit, they decided the others would go down while Chu Xiao and Wang Yan remained on the surface to keep watch. Chu Xiao was troubled by the logistics of moving the rocks; it was already difficult enough to move in their heavy spacesuits, let alone carry heavy meteorites.

"How about we tie the stones to ropes and pull them up one by one?"

"That would be too slow."

Chu Xiao had considered her suggestion, but it would take far too long. Yet, they were at a stalemate with no other options.

Just then, many green aliens appeared in the darkness. As Chu Xiao wondered what they were doing, their leader stepped forward and used gestures to indicate that they wanted to help transport the meteorites. Chu Xiao was overjoyed; with their help, he no longer had to worry. The aliens jumped into the pit without needing ropes, each carrying a piece of meteorite back up. Soon, all the stones were at the capsule. Chu Xiao cupped his hands to thank the leader and gave them some food in return.