Chapter 1023: Zerg Attack on Ximao Star (2)

"Morris! Take out those ones sniping us!"

Jakesi shouted.

"Processing."

Sniper Morris lay on high ground; every precise shot he fired inevitably claimed the head of a Plasma Thunder Bug.

But the number of Zerg was simply too great.

A Heavy Armor Bug smashed through the fire net, using its immense strength to ram the outer wall of the outpost!

"The wall won't hold!"

Technical Soldier Harkens shouted, looking at the red-flashing values on the structural monitor.

"Schneider! Explosives!"

Jakesi roared.

Demolition Expert Schneider stuck the already-prepared Energy-Concentrating Explosives onto the inside of the wall where the impact was expected.

"Fall back!"

"Boom!"

With a loud bang, the outer wall was smashed open by the Heavy Armor Bug, and at the same time, the explosives inside were detonated.

The violent explosion blew that Heavy Armor Bug and a large number of small bugs nearby to pieces, but it also caused severe damage to the structure of the outpost.

"Cough, cough... damn it..."

Otto was left dizzy and dazed by the shock, his ears ringing.

The breach was even larger! More bugs were swarming in!

"For Cadian! For the Emperor!"

Medic Reinhardt picked up his Laser Gun and fired at the bugs rushing into the breach, shouting his battle cry.

"Cadian stands!"

Young Private Karl stood beside Reinhardt, firing his Laser Gun desperately, until a scythe from a sickle-bug pierced his chest.

Karl looked down at the Sharp Blade protruding through his body, opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he only spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed limply.

"Karl!"

Jenkins' eyes were splitting with rage as he poured Laser Beams into the bug that had killed Karl.

"Don't get distracted! Keep firing!"

Jakesi pulled the emotionally distraught Jenkins away and used his own Laser Gun to pick off another swift-bug trying to pounce on them.

Casualties began to appear inevitably.

In close-quarters combat, Otto was surrounded by several sickle-bugs; although he took down two with his Pistol and Bayonet, he ultimately had his throat torn out.

While installing the second set of explosives, Schneider was ambushed by a Mimicry Camouflage Bug and was instantly torn in two.

Sniper Morris's sniping position was also discovered by the Zerg, and a large number of Plasma Thunder Bugs blanketed his location.

His calm report came through the communication channel for the last time.

"Sniper position lost, confirmed kills on twelve Aliens..."

Then came the static of an explosion.

Flamethrower trooper Duncan ran out of fuel, threw down his flamethrower, drew his Laser Pistol and Entrenching Tool, and charged into the swarm of bugs with a wild laugh.

"Come on! You bastards! Let Grandpa Duncan teach you what it means to fight to the death and never retreat!"

Duncan's Laser Pistol fired continuously, and he used his Entrenching Tool to split the heads of two sickle-bugs before finally being trampled into pulp by a Heavy Armor Bug.

Technical Soldier Harkens was pinned to the control panel by a massive bug limb that pierced through the wall while he was trying to repair an Automatic Turret.

Medic Reinhardt had his head melted by a Plasma Bullet from a Plasma Thunder Bug while trying to save the wounded Kroger.

Heavy Weapons Specialist Kroger was overwhelmed by the swarm after his ammunition ran out.

Finally, only Sergeant Jakesi and Private Jenkins remained, standing back-to-back in the center of the bunker, which was filled with corpses and viscous blood.

The bunker was riddled with holes, and outside was an endless sea of bugs.

Jenkins' Laser Gun was also out of energy; he threw down the gun and drew his Bayonet.

"Sergeant... we..."

"Shut up, kid."

Jakesi fired the last of his Laser Gun's energy, used the red-hot barrel as a club, and smashed the head of a swift-bug with a heavy blow.

"Cadians die standing."

Jakesi looked at the increasing number of bugs before him, grabbed Jenkins by the shoulder, and pushed him toward the corner of the bunker where the outpost logs and the last batch of high explosives were stored.

"Jenkins! Listen! Initiate the 'Last Rites'! Send everything here, along with these bastards, to the afterlife!"

Jakesi roared, while swinging his gun butt to fend off the bugs lunging at him.

Jenkins looked at the Sergeant's broad back, now covered in wounds and bug blood, and whispered.

"Yes! Sergeant!"

Jenkins rushed to the corner, lifted a hidden panel, and revealed a red activation button and a small screen inside.

He quickly entered the authorization code, and the screen lit up, displaying 【Final Defense Protocol activated, countdown: 30 seconds】.

A piercing alarm sounded inside the bunker, mingling with the hissing of the swarm.

Jakesi heard the sound of the countdown; he bared his teeth in a hideously ferocious grin.

Jakesi threw away his Laser Gun and drew a heavy Monomolecular Combat Knife from his waist.

"Come on! You disgusting bugs! Let Grandpa Jakesi have some real fun with you!"

The blade sliced into the joints and weak eyes of the Zerg, bringing up spurts of dark green fluid.

Jakesi roared and bellowed.

Countdown: 10 seconds.

One of Jakesi's arms was severed by a Heavy Armor Bug; he let out a muffled grunt and stabbed the short blade in his other hand fiercely into the Alien's eye.

Countdown: 5 seconds.

Jenkins's Laser Gun overheated again; he dropped the gun, drew his Bayonet, and stood before the launcher, facing the surging Insect Tide.

Countdown: 3 seconds.

Jakesi was covered in blood, almost a bloody mess; he leaned against the wall, looked at the dense swarm of bugs before him, spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, and roared with his last ounce of strength, his voice piercing through the insect chirping and the alarms.

"Cadian... stands!!"

Countdown: 0 seconds.

Boom!!!

A dazzling white light erupted from beneath the foundation of the Lone Peak outpost, followed by a deafening roar!

A massive Fireball rose into the air, swallowing the entire outpost and all Zerg units within several hundred meters.

A violent shockwave, carrying sand, stones, and Zerg limbs, spread fiercely in all directions.

The Jianbao base read the final message transmitted back by the Cadians.

Cadian stands!

The Feng Qi Xing Alliance Light Reconnaissance Fleet, the few remaining hulls covered in scars.

Behind this light fleet, that terrifying shadow composed of the main force of the Reaper Insect Hive had grown so vast it obscured half the starry sky within the field of view.

"Captain! The Breeze... signal has vanished!"

The communicator's voice rang out on the Bridge.

Just seconds ago, that Destroyer had been entangled by several Bio-Capture Whips shot from the swarm and dragged into the depths of that pulsing biomass.

The Bridge was deathly silent, save for the shrill buzzing of equipment alarms and the teeth-grinding groans of the ship's structure under pressure.

All crew members, from the helmsman to the Weapon Officer, had faces filled with exhaustion, fear, and a strange sense of relief that their Task was nearing completion.

The Fleet Commander gripped the armrests of the command chair tightly.

Watching the massive red signal on the tactical table closing in, then looking at the coordinates marked as the final destination on the star chart navigator—Ximao Star, a planet on the border of the Sixth Star Sector—he muttered to himself.

"Did we... succeed?"

"According to the final calculated trajectory and jump tendencies of the swarm, there is over a 95 percent probability that they will make Ximao Star their primary predatory target."

The navigator's voice sounded.

"Very well... we have fulfilled our mission. Commissioner Valken... the Feng Qi Xing Alliance... will remember our sacrifice."

The Fleet Commander knew the danger of this Task, but they had come anyway; for the strategy of the Feng Qi Xing Alliance, and to bring a devastating blow to the Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance, they were willing to become the spark that ignited the hellfire, even if they themselves would be consumed.

"All remaining ships! Maximum power, fire all our Decoy Signal Generators at the Reaper Mother Ship's core area! Inject all remaining energy into the engines! Let us... send this final 'gift' to these beasts!"

This was the final step of the plan.

Using their own wreckage and the final high-energy signals to further stimulate and attract the swarm, ensuring they would throw themselves at Ximao Star with full force.

"Yes! Commander!"

The surviving Fengqi ships turned their bows, their engines spewing out final blue exhaust flames.

At the same time, the Decoy Signal Generators carried by all ships were activated simultaneously, releasing intense fluctuations that simulated a massive life-bearing planet and energy source.

Countless biological ships separated from the Mother Ship, and more Airdrop Spores began to condense and form in its abdomen.

"They... are coming..."

The Weapon Officer looked at the off-the-charts bio-energy signals on the sensors and closed his eyes.

The next second, endless darkness swallowed everything.