Chapter 240: The Substitute Giant Insect

The wormhole used by the Solar System is a pseudo-wormhole. It is claimed to be our own technology, but in reality, humans do not possess the ability to create wormholes. To be precise, the wormhole used to jump to Kepler was not created, but discovered. That latent wormhole passage has always existed, constantly following the movement of the Solar System. This has also sparked intense discussion internally. The eight planets of the Solar System follow the Sun as it moves forward through the universe, and the coordinates of this wormhole move along with it, with the relative coordinates remaining unchanged. This positioning capability is something humans currently cannot explain, but humans cannot remain stagnant because of the unknown.

From another perspective, this is also a set of target coordinates, and once we discovered the coordinates of Kepler, the conditions for opening the wormhole to perform a jump were met.

At this stage, it is no longer a question of conspiracy theories or not, but rather the obvious existence of clues and purposes that humans have yet to discover. Is this kind of latent wormhole naturally formed, or was it left behind by a past civilization?

Regardless of which it is, Pandora's Box has already been opened; retreating is just waiting for death.

Kepler contains things that are urgently needed for human civilization's advancement. The existence of Giant Insects is a definite threat, but if humanity exhausts its strength, there is still a chance of victory. However, right now, unknown factors make the Four Great Federations afraid to act rashly. Proceeding with caution, establishing bases first, understanding Kepler, and enhancing and strengthening human technology is the safer method. In any case, having reached this point, we can only move forward.

The other four bases belong to the Four Great Federations internally, while Base No. 5 has a heavier public scientific research mission and also needs to provide an explanation to the citizens of the Alliance.

After Su Yu understood the overall situation, she held a negative view of the investment here. The reason is that the strategy of the Four Great Federations is too conservative, and nine times out of ten, there is some core content hidden that the family is not clear about. Under these circumstances, investing in Base No. 5 is more like throwing money into the water. Of course, from the family's perspective, while a large investment is not feasible, a certain amount of investment to obtain an opportunity is still necessary. Often, investments are just this contradictory.

Having made her decision, all that remained for Su Yu's trip to Kepler this time was to get an Ocean Heart.

A Youyou, on the other hand, was in a state of pure enjoyment. They were in a vehicle with the researchers. In beautiful Kepler, A Youyou could feel a strong spiritual energy, and her whole body felt very comfortable and clear. She had felt a little bit of this on Earth, but compared to Kepler, there was a huge gap, and this feeling did not exist on Mars or the Moon, nor in the Space City or on Titan. This place contained powerful vitality, and the entire planet radiated vigor.

Today's weather was excellent. Kepler's star is much larger, providing sufficient energy, and Kepler's atmosphere provides enough protection, guarding this beautiful planet.

The group was also constantly taking pictures. While it was called an inspection, it could also be considered a travel perk for them; the scenery here was breathtaking.

"This flower is so beautiful, just like the legendary Other Shore Flower."

"We named it the Other Shore Flower. On Kepler, we have discovered some life forms similar to the descriptions in the legends of various ancient nations."

"Is there any connection between them, or is it a coincidence?"

"There is no scientific proof of any necessary connection; it should just be a coincidence. Kepler's ecology is more complex than Earth's. Of course, if there is a connection, that would be a major discovery."

A scientific attitude is rigorous. One can maintain imagination, but one cannot over-associate like in mythological stories. This is a common understanding among the staff at the base. Perhaps the universe has some kind of creator, and this creator can be seen as a law of life formation; the appearance of similarities is not incomprehensible.

An armored vehicle led the way, with Mobile Suits guarding both sides. This was mainly because everyone in this group was exceptionally important, and the base attached great importance to it. The two squads dispatched were aces, possessing one Ming Wang atha, and the weapons were already augmented with the new K23.

In the EMP, Super Mecha fly everywhere, but in reality, they are very rare in the military. They are generally only equipped for the special forces of each federation. The cost of Super Mecha is too high, and maintenance fees and the like are all piled up with money. Moreover, in battles against Giant Insects, the damage rate is very high. This is also a part of the base that burns money; every expansion is accompanied by massive attrition.

This operation was personally led by Team Leader Sikong Beize,

piloting a Mingwang Mecha, and belonged to the Solar System Alliance Expeditionary Fleet.

"Everyone, ahead is a rest point. We will rest in place for twenty minutes. Please strictly abide by the field rules. Do not touch or approach any strange-looking creatures, otherwise, you will be responsible for the consequences!" Sikong Beize's steady voice rang out.

In fact, the people in the tour group had wanted to get on good terms with this Major Sikong along the way and were very polite, but Sikong Beize seemed to have no interest in these people at all and was not easy to communicate with.

"He's a Major, at least; he's too ignorant of social graces."

"I heard that base team leaders are usually Lieutenant Colonels or Colonels. For him to still be a Major at this point, there's a big problem."

People were still complaining about Sikong Beize's attitude. After an hour-long journey, everyone had long wanted to get out and rest. Some people had made requests along the way, but they were all rejected by this Major Sikong, and his attitude was extremely "nasty."

Of course, Sikong Beize belonged to the Expeditionary Army and was only responsible for safety. The base assigned this task, and he had originally opposed it. Although it was an inspection, the scale this time was a bit large. Sikong Beize gave a serious introduction to the rules and also left everyone with a rather rigid impression.

The target this time was Kepler organisms within the scope of Base No. 5 that carried K23 crystals. Drones had been observing and searching, and finally, they found traces. This time was also to close the net.

It was originally a secret of the base, but where are there any secrets? By the time A Youyou knew, everyone else already knew. If people came here and insisted on bringing back some local specialty, it would definitely be an Ocean Heart. Aside from researchers, those who came here were representatives of big shots, and the Ocean Heart was ranked first in the catalog.

So no one would miss such an opportunity. Even if it were discovered, the bidding would definitely be astonishing.

The group got off the vehicles one after another, and the researchers in the armored vehicles also walked out. Such field activities were still quite common for them, and it was not as dangerous as imagined. After all, they were near a human base with various fixed-point reconnaissance. Even if there were occasional stragglers, facing the combat power of two squads, four-digit Giant Insects could still be handled. Moreover, the distance to the base was not too far, within the range of rapid support, so everyone's mindset was exceptionally relaxed.

Human nature craves freedom. Although the base had everything, there was always a feeling that it lacked that bit of the atmosphere of freedom. Once in the wild, it felt as comfortable as if shackles had been unlocked.

"Two squads of Mobile Suits, plus the area belongs to the base's missile strike range, there's really nothing to be afraid of. Honestly, if you haven't seen wild Giant Insects, you can't really say you've been to Kepler."

"Exactly. The capabilities of human Mobile Suits far exceed those of Giant Insects, and our reconnaissance equipment is so complete that large-scale Giant Insects can't get close at all. Small-scale ones are just food. What's there to be afraid of?"

"If he were bold, he wouldn't be a Major, haha."

"A Youyou, the instructor isn't bad-tempered, it's just that the wild is very dangerous and can be attacked at any time. The terrain around here is relatively good, which is why the instructor is lingering here." Polina stuck out her tongue and explained. The people around were still chattering and ridiculing Sikong Beize, as if doing so could make them appear taller.

"Why do you call him instructor?" A Youyou naturally felt that Sikong Beize must have his considerations; after all, no one understood the situation better than the soldiers on the front line.

"He is an instructor for Tianqi. Actually, if he hadn't been implicated, he might be a Major General by now," Polina said. "He refused to slander Li Ge, which is why he was exiled here. Ah, A Youyou, just pretend you didn't hear anything."

Polina covered her mouth in regret.

Although A Youyou wanted to know more about Li Hao, she was too embarrassed to ask again. She looked at her Skycom, but there was still no message from him.

A Youyou was a bit suspicious. Does he actually like her?

If he likes her, why doesn't he reach out to her? Or is it that a girl like "A Youyou" is simply not worthy of the great god of Tianqi?

Actually, going to Tianjing was not a coincidence. One could learn opera anywhere; there was really no need to go to Tianjing. But this was her wish, because she had started having nightmares when she was very young. At first, it was houses collapsing, gradually turning into cities being destroyed, and later it even spread to the entire star system. Human fleets turned into

space junk, and her ears were filled with miserable screams. Every time this happened, a figure would always appear, holding her hand, and only then could A Youyou sleep peacefully. As time passed, the nightmare changed, and that figure also kept growing, until one time she dreamed of Tianjing, a place she had never been to and never paid attention to.

A Youyou could not suppress the curiosity in her heart at all; she had to go to Tianjing.

She met Li Hao at Tianjing Martial Arts. In fact, the moment they met that day, there was an inexplicable sense of familiarity, as if they had known each other for a long time. By his side, she felt very safe and relaxed, as if he were overlapping with the figure in her dreams. A Youyou could not help but be curious, could not help but want to understand this person. This was equivalent to someone who had been silently existing in her dreams since she was a child appearing in reality.

Then the things that followed happened, and it was almost entirely her taking the initiative to approach him, and then the two of them were together.

But she had secrets, and Li Hao seemed to have even more secrets. This departure was also A Youyou wanting to sort out her own thoughts. Was this her true emotion, or was it to satisfy a fantasy in her heart?

The Ocean Heart is beautiful, but what A Youyou cares about is not this at all.

She admitted that no matter the reason, feelings cannot lie. But what was Li Hao's attitude toward her? Having grown up in a big family like Daliven, A Youyou was not a naive girl. She did not lack courage, but she could not determine other people's thoughts. Was it just a momentary impulse?

After all, the A Youyou that Li Hao knew was just an ordinary A Youyou.

Since she was a child, the manifestation of her Golden Gene had been different from others. The definition given to her by the family was "Truth." Very few people could disguise themselves in front of her, but when facing Li Hao, she was completely unable to judge or perceive him.

Some things, she as a girl couldn't be too proactive, right?

Girls in love are often more sensitive. She always felt that she wasn't that important in Li Hao's heart. Or was it her own illusion?

The laughter of the little chatterbox Polina gradually reached her ears. It was clear she had been holding it in for a long time. It was hard to come across a girl of similar age like A Youyou, so she didn't stop along the way. A Youyou was also quite good at listening, and she liked hearing Polina talk about those strange facts about Kepler.

The surrounding Mobile Suits were not resting and were still maintaining a formation ready for battle at any time, because there were lurkers on Kepler. The first rule for Mobile Suits is not to leave the mecha; by the time you discover something, it's too late to go back.

The two squads of Mobile Suits kept four people on rotation for vigilance. Suddenly, all the Mobile Suit engines roared and moved. Following that, the ground began to shake violently, and strange sounds came from the sky, along with a feeling of suffocation and oppression that struck their hearts.

The change became even more intense within just a few minutes, and the ground began to sway. The crowd began to panic. "Is it an earthquake?"

"What's the situation?"

Sikong Beize's expression was grave. In the distance, the dense forests in all directions were trembling irregularly, and the vibrations from all sides were beyond imagination. This only meant one thing: a Giant Insect swarm!

"Pato, contact the base immediately!" Sikong Beize said in a deep voice. "Everyone, return to the vehicles immediately! We are under attack by Giant Insects!"

A Guardian 330 NUP functional mecha immediately called Base 5, "Home base, home base, this is Explorer Squad, we have encountered a Giant Insect attack, estimated scale over ten thousand, requesting support, requesting support!"

The group of people who had just been relaxed and unconcerned suddenly fell into a panic.

Sikong Beize did not retreat immediately; in fact, he had felt something was wrong since the start of this trip, as the appearance of a creature carrying an Ocean Heart was too obvious and strange—it was less like a discovery and more like a trap, but because it was within the strike range of the base, this temptation was impossible to refuse.

This group of Giant Insects appeared suddenly, and given this marching speed, there should be no heavy-assault type Giant Insects, as those move very slowly and do not possess the ability to lurk.

At this time, they could not retreat in a rush; if it were just him leading two squads, he could definitely break through easily, but the others would be lost.

"Non-combat personnel stay against the mountain col in the inner circle, combat formation, missile vehicles prepare!" Sikong Beize said; this was the reason he chose to rest here.

The terrain here prevented the Giant Insects' numerical advantage from unfolding immediately; once surrounded by Giant Insects in open terrain, it would certainly be a dead end.

The two large equipment vehicles accompanying them, which Su Yu and the others had always thought were carrying precision instruments, revealed their true colors; the top covers opened, erecting rows of missiles, and at Sikong Beize's order, the missiles launched.

At this moment, in the insect swarm in the distance, patches of yellow mist rose from among the Giant Insects like mushroom clouds, thick and unmoving, and the swarm continued its advance under the cover of the yellow mist.

Sikong Beize's expression grew a bit more solemn; there were actually Umbrella Giant Insects, and quite a few of them. At the same time, the Guardian mecha was also frantically contacting the base, but their signal was being interfered with—there were actually ultrasonic Giant Insects among them specifically used for interference; this was an absolute trap, and all for their small scale?

Or perhaps, was there something in the team that they wanted?

Fortunately, they brought functional mecha this time; conventional mecha would basically be finished under this kind of interference. The Guardian was constantly adjusting its orientation to break through the influence of the interference Giant Insects, but it required a certain amount of time.

Soon the Giant Insect swarm came into view, and the calm on the faces of all the non-combat personnel had vanished; dense swarms of Giant Insects were frantically pouncing toward them, and standing before them were only these few Mobile Suits. In their impression, shouldn't Giant Insects appear sporadically?

Why could such a scale of Giant Insects suddenly pop out???

The missiles exploded; although there were Umbrella Giant Insects, it still caused chaos among the Giant Insects, but more Giant Insects rushed over regardless of death.

Su Yu was already hugging A Youyou tightly; she regretted coming to Kepler for the first time, thinking she was truly crazy—knowing there was danger, how could she have been so big-hearted as to run out into the wild.

Although A Youyou was a bit panicked, she was not afraid, and she had gradually calmed down; for some reason, she felt an indescribable sensation, as if these Giant Insects were coming for her, and she could feel the Giant Insect swarm forming a certain "will."

The first wave of Giant Insects struck, the Mobile Suits fired at full power, lasers bombarded frantically, and Sikong Beize piloted the Ming Wang atha and charged straight out; they absolutely could not let the Giant Insects build up momentum in the first wave, they had to suppress them!

The great battle began in an instant, Razor Giant Insects attacked in wave after wave, but with the stable firepower and precise strikes of the Mobile Suits, the Razor Giant Insects could only leave behind piles of corpses; the Giant Insects had relatively strong defense against lasers, so to be able to cause direct damage, they must have understood the Giant Insects' structure quite well, and their marksmanship was excellent.

The Mingwang Mecha charged into the swarm to kill special Giant Insects, retreating immediately after succeeding; although the Giant Insects' charge was fierce, none of the Mobile Suits retreated, and the team members were very tacit in their coordination. Because they occupied favorable terrain, the Giant Insects could not fully unfold for a time; these were not Reserves, but iron-blooded Warriors who had undergone strict training and had combat experience.

On the battlefield, being casual might not always lead to trouble, but when trouble comes, being casual is fatal; if they had just found a place with nice scenery to rest, everyone would be gone by now. What seemed like a lack of human touch was actually experience accumulated from bloody lessons.

The two sides were deadlocked, and the mood of Su Yu and the others gradually stabilized; A Youyou's eyes were also shining, perhaps only at this moment could one realize the significance of the existence of Mobile Suits, and she had watched many EMP battles, but everything before her eyes was different.

Sikong Beize had already killed through five back-and-forth cycles, and importantly, he had killed the interference Giant Insects, giving a sense of taking the enemy general's head from among ten thousand insects; the crowd cheered, and at this moment everyone felt Sikong Beize's powerful combat strength and his determination to face death without fear.

High-intensity combat was a drain on the Warriors every minute, and finally, the Giant Insects' wave after wave of suicide charges broke into the mecha formation, and hand-to-hand combat began.

"I said we should retreat, now it's over, these idiots! I don't want to die here!" "Damn it, these bastards, why didn't they say there were so many Giant Insects, and they were hiding here."

"Quick, get someone to take us away!"

As the Giant Insects closed in, a few people who had lost control of their emotions roared at the drivers of the off-road vehicles; just then, bang, bang, bang.

Su Yu had already rushed up, pulling out a laser

gun and knocking the ringleaders down in a few quick moves, "Shut up, all of you, get ready for battle! Whoever drags us down will be killed without mercy; I won't coddle you!"

The barrier formed by the Mobile Suits before them was already precarious, and there was a possibility of Giant Insects breaking through at any time. The missile vehicles fired another round of missiles, but it could only hinder the ones following.

The non-combat personnel couldn't even stand steady at this moment; Su Yu was the only one with a clear head. The Daliven Family had conducted crisis response training; she had thought it funny at the time, but it proved useful when it really mattered.

A Youyou also didn't know why she had no fear; she looked at these Giant Insects, and a calling actually echoed in her mind...

Beside her, Polina was shaking A Youyou desperately, finally waking her up; the sound in her ears gradually returned to normal, and A Youyou was covered in cold sweat.

"A Youyou, A Youyou, don't look at them!" Polina shouted loudly.

The more sensitive and powerful one's Mental Power is, the easier it is to be attracted by Giant Insects and fall into a mental confrontation; Polina was engaged in research in this area and was particularly sensitive.

The battle continued in a tragic manner, and the Mobile Suits began to suffer constant injuries, but no one retreated. Sikong Beize displayed his divine might, showing terrifying combat ability at the critical moment; his K23 Titanium Blade bloomed with intense red light, and he charged into the swarm alone like he was chopping vegetables, attracting attention and forcibly throwing the Giant Insects into chaos. The Ming Wang atha's multi-line fire was brought into full play in his hands, like a small combat fortress, and the other Mobile Suits fired at full power; the coordination between the Warriors was quite tacit, which absolutely could not have been formed overnight, and they took the opportunity to annihilate the Giant Insects that had rushed over.

Suddenly, the ground heaved and exploded directly—a Lurker!

The Lurker broke through the defensive formation and killed toward the people in the back; one mecha couldn't dodge in time and was pierced directly.

Zing...

The Lurker burst out from the ground, its huge bone spurs thrusting toward the missile vehicles; the Giant Insect Terror brought on in an instant caused those with insufficient Mental Power to faint directly, but the Lurker seemed to sense something, suddenly abandoning the missile vehicles that were a threat to it and heading toward the off-road vehicles. A powerful pressure struck in an instant; Su Yu gritted her teeth, wanting to fire, but found her body couldn't move at all, and the others were even worse off.

The off-road vehicles couldn't block it at all; facing the Giant Insects, they were like paper.

Just as they were about to be wiped out, the Lurker suddenly stopped moving; A Youyou had already stood in front of the Lurker at some point, her eyes emitting a strong golden light.

The two sides were actually in a standoff???

The Lurker let out a shrill hiss, and as it watched the poison sting shoot out, its body heaved constantly, Boom... the Lurker exploded on the spot.

But two more Lurkers burst out from the ground, and A Youyou's face turned pale instantly; this was already her full strength, and she felt as if her body was no longer her own.

Boom...

On the other side, Sikong Beize's heart was also shocked; his sure-kill strike had actually missed???

He had of course noticed the rear, but he had no time to spare; once the line collapsed and fell into chaos, everyone would die.

A Razor Giant Insect had somehow dodged his attack and crossed the defensive line, and two more Lurkers had broken through.

Why hadn't the base's support arrived yet???!!!

After A Youyou defeated one Lurker, she was almost exhausted, and everyone else around her had already fainted.

Two Lurkers, and it seemed there was still one Razor Giant Insect running toward her—it was over.

A Youyou's vision began to blur; she didn't have much fear, as in her own Nightmare Mode, she almost always had to face such life-and-death situations, and sometimes it made her unable to distinguish reality from dreams; only that figure could summon her back.

Zing, zing...

Accompanied by two screams, a strange change occurred; the two Lurkers... were hacked to pieces by the Razor Giant Insect??? The two Lurkers had also been caught off guard; otherwise, they could have killed A Youyou first in any number of ways.

The Razor Giant Insect finished off the two Lurkers and stood before A Youyou, raising its two large claws? It seemed to be protecting a Human???

All

of the Mobile Suits were stunned; they were all Elite veterans of the Alliance Expeditionary Army. What they saw was a girl in the team using her powerful Mental Power to blast a Lurker, and then controlling a Razor Giant Insect to hack two Lurkers to pieces.

"Brothers, get your spirits up, damn it! We're not as good as a little girl, don't lose face for us soldiers!" Sikong Beize roared; without worries behind him, he was no longer afraid.

The Mingwang Mecha charged straight into the swarm, standing tall with blade in hand, slaughtering in all directions.

Seeing this situation, the other Mobile Suits were also greatly encouraged; any Giant Insect that occasionally slipped through was immediately cut down by that strange Razor Giant Insect, which was unimaginably powerful and even sharper than a Mecha.

After a fierce battle for quite a while, the base's missile support finally arrived; it was clear the Giant Insects had used some kind of interference to prevent the base from locking on, and it had taken the base some time to pinpoint them.

"The base's reinforcements will arrive in ten minutes, everyone hold your positions!" Sikong Beize's words once again acted as a stimulant for the Warriors, and at the same time, Sikong Beize retreated into the formation; it was impossible to wipe out the Giant Insects, so all they had to do was repel them.

Accompanied by carpet bombing, the Giant Insects finally began to retreat, and the Mechas in the distance also appeared in everyone's field of vision; everyone breathed a sigh of relief, their bodies, which were already on the verge of exhaustion, suddenly going limp.

But just at this moment, a Lurker suddenly burst out from the ground and charged toward A Youyou; this was something the Mobile Suits had not expected at all, and even the fastest-reacting Sikong Beize was completely unable to reach her in time.

A massive figure crossed the air and was directly pierced by the Lurker, but the pierced Razor Giant Insect still struggled to hack the Lurker to death.

A Youyou watched the Razor Giant Insect without moving, and the moment the Giant Insect died, a Mental Power she was very familiar with vanished instantly; suddenly, A Youyou's eyes turned red, tears began to fall drop by drop, and she hurriedly tried to call via Skycom, but the Skycom could not connect at all.

Signals were already extremely poor on Kepler, and with the Giant Insects interfering with the signal, a Regular Mode Skycom was completely useless; only the base's special equipment could break through.

The Mobile Suits watched this scene in stunned silence; on Kepler, the one thing they were never short of were strange people and events, but in all these years, this was the first time they had seen something so strange, and they also realized that the girl before them was no ordinary person.

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