Chapter 569: with translation of chapter title

Thud! Thud!

At the first sight of the warrior bug, the squad leader gripped his power sword tightly and stepped forward quickly.

Swish! Swish!

Meanwhile, a few brothers who knew their individual combat strength was inferior to the squad leader's immediately halted their charge and, from a slightly farther position, fired poison viper blast missiles to assist the squad leader in continuously bombarding the warrior bug's biological barrier.

Bang! Bang!

The biological barrier indeed blocked the high-rate-of-fire blast missiles, but the moment the dark green toxic mist was released, it, as if possessing self-awareness, slowly 'seeped' through the barrier and began to erode the warrior bug's exoskeleton.

At that very moment, the squad leader had already rushed to the front of the warrior bug.

Furthermore, the strong-acid mist with friend-or-foe identification dispersed to the left and right as the squad leader approached, providing an unobstructed path.

Roar!

The warrior bug let out a roar, temporarily unaffected by the strong acid, and with the same extreme speed capable of producing afterimages, it swung its scythe-like bone blades and smashed toward the squad leader, who was within arm's reach.

Rou!

Accompanied by the sound of breaking air, the squad leader first darted to the right to dodge one pair of bone blades, then hastily performed a left roll to evade another pair.

Having completed a series of evasive maneuvers, the squad leader had fully closed the distance to the warrior bug; he then raised his power sword with both hands, appearing to chop at the bug's foot bones to throw it off balance, before preparing to sever its neck.

But…

With a 'Hum!!', dark red and dark purple lightning suddenly flared.

It turned out that the squad leader's earlier chop was a feint; his true target was actually the bone blade the warrior bug had deliberately kept for last, and the warrior bug also revealed an opening, intending to sneak-attack the squad leader who was focused on the chopping motion.

Both sides had anticipated each other's anticipation.

However, it was clearly the squad leader who had the edge; at the instant he made the chopping motion, he turned and counterattacked, causing his power sword to strike the bone blade that had come from behind.

As for the dark red and dark purple lightning, it was likewise caused by the clash of the sword blade and the bone blade.

The power sword possessed an electrical stance, while the warrior bug's bone blade likewise had a bioelectric current and a biological stance with a certain degree of decomposing ability.

The Tai Luo Insect Race and the expeditionary forces had been clashing for over a year, naturally undergoing constant evolution and refinement.

Initially, the Tai Luo Insect Race planned to use the cultivated 'infiltrators' that looked identical to humans to infiltrate all colonies of the Zero-Three Universe, intending to transform and assimilate unsuspecting Empire residents.

However, low-level AI had its defenses; various reincarnators, Ada, dark spirits, and all kinds of aliens and heretics were also attempting infiltration.

Moreover, these infiltrators lacked nanobots in their bodies, making them unable to pass any security check or enter any public place; although the number of surveillance devices was temporarily less than that of the main universe colonies, it was already sufficient.

Thus, the Tai Luo Insect Race sought to use the infiltrators to undermine the Empire forces of the Zero-Three Universe from within, but ultimately ended in failure.

However, the Tai Luo Insect Race's normal consumption and evolution pathway has caused its biological weapon varieties to increase ever more; for example, warrior bugs of this elite unit can already match an entire support squad and are on par with Astate.

Like the warrior bug engaging the squad leader, its head crown exoskeleton bears red patterns, indicating that this warrior bug is about to advance into a chief-class insect unit, qualifying as one of the Tai Luo race's elite troops.

Furthermore, the exoskeleton of this type of warrior bug possesses extreme heat resistance, extreme acid resistance, and extremely high strength, combined with a biological barrier capable of blocking high-speed objects.

Just looking at this, one would feel their defense is practically maxed out.

However, in terms of speed, they likewise have reaction speeds on the microsecond and nanosecond scale.

Moreover, this warrior bug, about to advance to chief class, has already used strength to suppress the squad leader and intends to swing the three freed bone blades to completely strangle him.

So fast that even the brothers stationed far away cannot timely provide effective support, after all, though these two appear to have exchanged multiple blows, it is actually just a fleeting opening.

Fortunately, the squad leader has ample experience dealing with such elite insectoids; upon sensing the opponent's intent, he proactively retreated and then rolled to the right, successfully dodging all of the warrior bug's bone blades.

Immediately thereafter, taking advantage of the warrior bug's body lunging forward, the squad leader instantly rose and made a thrust.

Pfft!!

The power sword precisely slipped through the gap between the carapace plates, successfully stabbing into the warrior bug's body; moreover, the squad leader habitually twisted his grip on the hilt, causing the blade to roll.

Roar!!

The wound widened, internal organs were churned and burned, causing the warrior bug to emit a howl akin to a cry of pain, after which it attempted to swing its two pairs of bone blades once more.

But the squad leader, who temporarily had the upper hand, would not miss the opportunity; he twisted his waist and exerted force with both hands in the momentum…

"Shlick!!!" rang out, and the warrior bug was successfully bisected by the squad leader, whose physique was much smaller.

"Thud!" again, the warrior bug's massive body collapsed to the ground, and its upper half continued to wildly swing its two pairs of bone blades, attempting to take the squad leader down with it.

However, facing such an attack that had lost its rhythm and speed, the squad leader dodged successfully, then swung his sword with his right hand to cut the warrior bug's neck, gripped its head crest with his left, and hurled it far away with all his strength, disappearing into the endless swarm of bugs that followed.

At this moment.

The entire combat squad had been completely surrounded by countless bugs, the entrenched troops forming a circular line to hold off and stare down, like a lone island in an ocean of dark purple and bone-white (the Tyranids' appearance color).

But if viewed from above.

Not only this combat squad, but also the hundred-strong entrenched troops, the Glory Fist company, or even the thousands-strong support army's armored battalion, were all split apart by the flood of the bug tide.

DivineBody, the Imperial-class, and the Warhound-class were focused on dealing with the Tyranid Titan beasts, while the fleet continued to provide fire support.

Meanwhile, the flashes from mushroom clouds, antimatter, nuclear explosions, and plasma grenade detonations were frequent, and the shockwaves had washed over the landing zone time and again.

Yet these meant nothing to the ground bugs, which continued to dispatch unimaginable numbers of creatures, constantly assaulting the landing zone built by the expeditionary forces.

Now look at this side of the combat squad at the forefront…

"Bang!!" with a muffled thud, an elite entrenched soldier whose energy shield had been activated was sent flying straight away by a chief warrior bug's bone blade.

After adjusting its body in midair, this entrenched soldier deployed the short-range hover device of his power pack, ensuring he would not fall directly into the swarm below.

Meanwhile, this chief warrior bug, more than twice the size of a normal warrior bug, with a head crest height of about twenty-six or seven meters above the ground (not far from that of a Warhound Titan), yet faster in agility and reaction speed and stronger in strength, had already charged into the combat squad's position.

Still, the weaker brothers kept their distance from the chief warrior bug, bombarding the biological barrier from afar to draw attention, and also had to block the endless streams of infantry bugs and serpent bugs.

Meanwhile, the squad leader, together with a brother wielding a power spear on his left and right, took turns engaging the chief warrior bug in melee; that brother's duty was to lure the enemy as much as possible, after which the squad leader seized the chance to slay it.

But the chief warrior bug realized the squad leader posed a greater threat, so from the start it locked onto its target and directly swung out bone blades that flashed with dark purple light, appearing as afterimages even to Astate eyes.

!!

Seeing this, the squad leader had no time to raise his sword to block, so he relied on instinct to dodge to the right.

In the next instant, the bone blade enveloped in a biological field collided with the energy shield generated by Thor's Hammer Mark X.

"Clang!"

Strong force and biological disintegration technique successfully shattered the energy shield, but also caused a slight deviation in the angle of the bone blade.

Sss!

The tip of the bone blade cut down from the left side of the helmet, ultimately slicing off the platoon leader's left shoulder pad and left arm in one smooth motion.

Boom!

Immediately after, the chief warrior insect made another side swing, slapping the platoon leader with the side of its bone blade.

And the platoon leader, still clutching the powered sword with his right hand, was knocked dozens of meters by this strike, colliding with a discarded hovering transport vehicle before the "flight" trajectory was broken.

Just as Rog, Shengjilesi and Sui Meng had feared in the control room of the Never‑Fall ship before battle, without their father's protection, against enemies like the Tai Luo Insect Race, Astate would also be wounded, even fall in battle.

The warrior insect and the chief‑type insects both have bone blades that possess a disassembly stance similar to the Human Empire's Chain Sword and powered sword, allowing them to effectively strike energy shields.

Although currently 30% of Astate have completed the latest modification surgery, gaining steel‑reinforced iron bones, hardened skin, and innate biological stance thanks to the new‑generation G‑gland, the expeditionary force had not yet caught up with the implementation of the surgery plan before launching the expedition.

Moreover, the individual combat bodies of chief‑type insects are roughly comparable to the Honor Guard, with some even surpassing the Honor Guard, and although the platoon leader is elite, facing a Spartan warrior over two hundred years old, or a veteran in a one‑on‑one, the outcome would be an instant kill.

As for the chief‑type insects, each inherits the memories of fallen comrades; in short, from the moment they leave the egg case, they are already battle‑hardened veterans.

Tss…

Electric current flickers.

Only the platoon leader, lying in the wreckage of the transport vehicle, remains motionless, and his Mark‑10 helmet bears a long, snarling scar.

The left eye visor of the helmet is shattered, exposing a dark‑red glow and a set of two large and one small compound eyes.

As for the left shoulder wound that had been gushing blood, it has now scarred over and is shedding the scar at a visible speed, but within a short time a new layer of skin grows.

At the same time.

The helmet's electronic compound eyes begin to move left and right, indicating that the platoon leader's consciousness is still clear and he is still observing his surroundings.

Then the platoon leader shakes his head, as if shaking off ringing ears, and immediately uses his remaining right hand, still gripping the powered sword, to brace himself and, with a little force, step out of the transport vehicle wreckage.

He emerges outside.

Looking around, he sees the chief warrior insect, which has already inflicted heavy losses on his combat platoon, even causing a brother to lose both legs, yet it continues to barrage the biological barrier with its plasma cannon.

Boom!!

Finally, coordinated with the platoon's synchronized fire attack and the desperate melee of two brothers wielding powered spears, they manage to blast open the biological barrier.

Roar!!

Deprived of its most reliable defense, the chief warrior insect lets out a howl and swings its four pairs of bone blades even more vigorously, driving back and severely wounding the two spear‑bearing brothers.

But the explosive arrow barrage and plasma cannon squad do not cease because of its fierce swings.

Bang! Bang!

Ri~ whoosh!!

Boom! Boom!

In an instant, the chief warrior insect begins to directly endure the concentrated fire.

Poison snakes, storms, and armor‑piercing explosive arrows blast through large sections of exoskeleton, while the plasma cannon squad melts through several holes.

Boom…Rumble…

Accompanied by a tremor like "the earth shaking and mountains moving", this massive creature, already comparable to a war‑dog‑class titan, collapses completely after its combat platoon loses a quarter of its brothers, showing no signs of life.

Yet two uninjured brothers rush to the chief warrior insect's head, raise their spears, aim, pull the triggers, and continuously fire, reducing its head to slag; only then do they finally breathe a sigh of relief.

And at this moment.

From a high‑altitude view again, the expeditionary force, coordinating on land, in the air, and "sea (orbit)" together, repels another wave of insect tide organized by the ground insects.

This also causes the hive mind and the ground insects to focus their attention on the expeditionary force led by Rog and Sui Meng.

The bait plan has already taken initial effect.

Pull back the view.

The elite combat platoon's platoon leader picks up his severed left arm, activates the magnetic attachment device at his lower back, and affixes it to his lower back (the arm guard is metal), facilitating the upcoming medical treatment.

He returns to the position.

The platoon leader walks slowly to a brother whose chest and abdomen have been slashed diagonally by the chief warrior insect, now lying on the ground convulsing.

He plants the powered sword into the ground, half‑crouches, and in the instant he frees his right hand to remove the brother's helmet…

Cough… cough…

The brother coughs up a large amount of clotted blood; even though nanorobots are still working diligently to quickly stop bleeding and heal the wound, both of his hearts have suffered fatal cuts and damage…

Unless his father or a plague doctor is present, there is no way to save him.

Seeing that this brother has no beard, a neat short haircut, and looks just over twenty, about ten years younger than the platoon leader…

He is the youngest in the platoon and the most gifted; otherwise he wouldn't have skipped the reserve stage after the trial and directly entered this elite platoon.

Because of this, the young brother's gaze carries resentment and an unmasked fear of death…

Although the helmet hides his face, making the platoon leader's expression unreadable, after a brief silence the platoon leader places his right hand on the brother's left shoulder and, in a metallic‑toned voice, comforts him:

"Sleep well, child. After you return to the Sea of Souls, your father will guide you to Hero Island."

Hearing this, the brother nods with his last strength, his eyes completely vacant, pupils dilated.

Seeing this.

The platoon leader stands up, lets the medic equipped with a white‑painted Mark‑8 rush in, immediately handles the corpse, and retrieves the matured G‑gland.

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(End of chapter)