Chapter 721: Contracting Defenses

"This means the enemy we are facing not only possesses powerful individual combat capabilities,"

Horus added in a heavy tone.

"But also possesses extremely high battlefield intelligence and information processing speed. They are studying us, and at the same time, they are doing their utmost to prevent us from studying them."

Yingzhou pondered for a few seconds before speaking.

"They are evolving, and it is an evolution targeted at us. They recovered the corpses, and we lost a precious opportunity for anatomical research, but..."

Yingzhou changed the subject, looked at Horus, and said.

"Their behavior itself also exposed information."

"They do not want to be studied, which shows that they are not, and their technology also contains weaknesses that can be cracked and exploited by us."

Horus nodded and replied.

"Yes, Father. Although we lost the corpses, their reaction patterns themselves are important intelligence."

"We can adjust our strategy based on this: reduce the opportunities to provide information to these Cyberk Alien, and only dispatch scouts to go out for intelligence gathering."

"Let's do that."

Yingzhou nodded firmly and immediately issued the order.

"Notify Tech-Priest Feier Ma-7X and Perturabo, and pass the intelligence on the Cyberk recovering corpses and the focus of the analysis to them."

"At the same time, order all frontline troops to contract their defenses, station themselves near the military bases, and strengthen reconnaissance of dangerous areas, especially after new unit models appear, as we also need intelligence."

"In addition, determine the placement of the Void Shield Generator, and while taking defense into account, let the coverage of the Void Shield be expanded to the maximum."

"Understood, Father!"

Third Defense Zone territory.

An Attila Barbarian Cavalry squad is galloping on warhorses across the scorched and cracked wilderness.

Where the horse hooves tread, rolling dust rises.

The leading Sergeant Batu has several scars on his face, his eyes constantly scanning the horizon.

The warhorse beneath him snorts heavily, its mane dancing wildly in the wind.

"Keep your eyes sharp, all of you!"

Batu's hoarse voice rang out against the wind.

"There were traces of iron-skin men patrolling this hellhole a few days ago! Report immediately if you see anything flashing with silver light!"

"Yes, Boss!"

Uneven responses came from behind.

The Attila Cavalry gripped their reins tightly, the muscles under their wool tunics tense.

They had Laser Pistols tucked at their waists, and the Hunting Spears in their hands glinted with cold light.

A young Attila soldier spurred his horse to catch up to Batu, his voice filled with the excitement of youth.

"Boss, I heard the squad that went out to scout yesterday encountered iron-skin men, will we..."

"Shut up!"

Batu interrupted sternly, glaring at the young Attila soldier.

"Mind your horse and your eyes."

"Those iron-skin things have eyes sharper than a falcon!"

The young Attila soldier shrank his neck, not daring to say more, only gripping the reins even tighter.

An old Attila veteran with dark skin on his face rode his horse closer to the other side of Batu, his voice kept very low.

"Boss, there's a strange smell in the wind... burnt metal mixed with a bit of... machine oil? Doesn't smell like ours."

Batu sniffed hard; amidst the smell of scorched earth and dust, there was indeed a faint, lingering metallic stench.

His eyes turned sharp, he suddenly raised his right arm, and made a fist!

Swish!

The Attila Squad reined in their horses instantly; ten warhorses neighed and reared up, then landed steadily, quickly dispersing into a loose defensive circle facing outward, spears slanted toward the ground, their movements fluid and synchronized.

Only the horse hooves pawed the ground uneasily.

Batu flipped off his horse, crouched low, and took a monocular telescope from his bosom.

He carefully pushed aside a cluster of withered Thorn and aimed the lens at the direction indicated by the old Attila veteran.

"The Emperor be praised..."

Batu cursed in a low voice and handed the telescope to the old Attila veteran who had crawled up.

The old Attila veteran squinted his one eye and leaned in, holding his breath.

In the shadows of the rock cluster, two silver-white figures were scanning something with completely synchronized movements that lacked any human rhythm.

They seemed "leaner" than mentioned in previous intelligence, with more slender and streamlined leg structures, and their arm circumference had also widened significantly.

"It's the iron-skin men... a new breed?"

The old Attila veteran's voice was dry.

"Damn it, see that blue-glowing disc on their arms? I heard the Seventh Squad was taken out by that thing..."

"I know!"

Batu snatched the telescope back, his face gloomy as he said.

"Record it! Characteristics: height about 2.5 meters, legs lengthened, arms have blue disc devices, patrol pattern extremely regular! Location: Southeast corner of R7 Area!"

"Yes!"

Tuoke immediately took a Recorder out of his saddlebag, lay on the horse's back, and began to record.

Just then, an extremely faint humming sound, almost covered by the wind, came through.

Batu and the old Attila veteran looked up at the same time!

Above the rock formation, a disc-shaped small aircraft with edges flickering in dim blue light rose silently, its top lens slowly rotating to scan!

"Damn! We've been spotted!"

Batu's expression changed drastically, and he blew the Bone Whistle hanging around his neck—three short blasts and one long, sharp and ear-piercing!

"Retreat! Split up! Same old rules, rendezvous at G3 Area!"

Batu roared as he vaulted onto his horse.

Almost the same second the whistle sounded, three blinding, dim blue energy beams shot precisely toward the position where they had just been standing!

Boom! Sizzle—!

The ground was instantly melted into three bowl-sized deep pits with charred, smoking edges! A wave of heat rushed toward their faces!

"Giddyap!"

The Attila Barbarian Cavalrymen kicked their horses' flanks hard, and the ten warhorses split into three groups, galloping wildly in different directions!

Dust and smoke were kicked high into the air once again.

The Attila recruit lay low on his horse's back, his heart pounding wildly, and could not help but look back.

He saw that behind those two silver-white figures, folded metal wings had popped out, and pale blue flames sprayed from beneath their feet, slowly lifting them off the ground to hover!

"They... they've taken flight! Boss! They can fucking fly!"

The Attila recruit's scream was torn into fragments by the wind.

"Shut up! Run!"

Batu roared without looking back, simultaneously yanking an earthy-yellow Smoke Bomb from his waist, biting off the pin, and throwing it violently behind him!

Poof—!

Dense brown smoke exploded instantly, shrouding a large area behind them.

Two silver-white figures trailing blue flames streaked out from both sides of the smoke at high speed!

Out of the corner of his eye, Batu caught one group chasing the other set of cavalry, while the other group was locked onto the three of them!

"Record!"

The Attila veteran, though on a jolting horse, spoke in an unusually calm voice, shouting at the recruit.

"The new model of mechanical Alien possesses short-range, low-altitude flight capabilities! They know how to split into groups to Intercept during pursuit!"

Swish!

An energy beam flew past, grazing the Attila veteran's saddle, the scorching airflow burning his thigh painfully.

He drew his Laser Pistol from his waist with a backhand motion and fired two shots toward the pursuing Cyberk Alien!

Two Laser Beams hit the pursuing Cyberk pursuers accurately, but the Energy Shield raised in front of them deflected the Laser Beams away.

"They..." Before the Attila veteran could finish his sentence, an energy beam struck his neck, and he fell straight off the horse's back.