Chapter 1932

Nearly two thousand Puttes swarmed out from within the valley, some climbing the rock walls, others rushing toward the valley's sole entrance.

In an instant, the massive swarm of Puttes clashed with the contractors in a melee; though the charge lasted only a dozen or so seconds, the Puttes endured bombardment from numerous ranged contractors, leaving vast swaths of corpses in their wake.

Over 800 enemy contractors were present, with more than 200 stationed on the surrounding cliffs—most of them ranged units, standing around the valley and bombarding the insect nest below.

Boom!

A mass of dark element was blocked by a Putte, which, suspended midair, had over half its body shattered; purplish-black energy rapidly corroded the fracture points of its corpse.

The ranged contractors on the surrounding valley cliffs found it difficult to attack the nest, as the nest—now over 60 meters high—was covered in climbing Puttes; any incoming attack would cause them to leap up, using their flesh to shield the nest.

Compared to the assaults from the three cliff faces, the battle at the valley entrance was far more intense.

Over 600 contractors occupied the valley entrance; this narrow terrain favored them, requiring only the main tank to hold the front against the insect swarm, form a shield wall, and allow rear contractors to slaughter the swarming Puttes.

The Puttes fearlessly charged the shield wall—metal shields, energy shields, even thick wooden shields as hard as metal but far tougher in flexibility.

After half a minute of combat, the contractors' line at the valley entrance stabilized; aside from a few casualties in the first wave from falling bone spurs, losses were now rare.

Compared to the contractors at the entrance, those on the three cliff faces fared much worse; having just enjoyed ranged bombardment, they now faced over a thousand Puttes scaling the nest, which began retaliating with bone spurs from their mouths.

Though each Putte possessed only three bone spurs over a meter long in its mouth, when near the nest, they could replenish their spurs via biological energy supplied by the nest.

For a time, the contractors on the three cliff faces all retreated behind cover.

At the valley entrance, Mu Yushi pressed a single finger to his brow, sensing the predicament of the contractors on the three cliffs, and immediately ordered them to withdraw—those three positions were poor attack points, and over a dozen contractors had already been pincushioned by concentrated insect fire.

Moreover, due to the scarcity of ranged contractors at the valley entrance, frontline tank pressure surged dramatically; they now faced not only over two thousand insects but also occasional long-range attacks from insects near the nest—were it not for the numerous healers from Holy Light Paradise, the tanks would already have been overwhelmed.

Puttes fell in rows; within less than a minute, the contractors' front was piled high with insect corpses, forming small hills.

"Akelo, I can't hold on anymore!"

A main tank wielding an alloy shield and wearing external armor roared, his shield's surface pitted with countless small dents; a single Putte meant little, but after enduring dozens, even hundreds of Putte strikes, even a tank could be swallowed by the swarm.

Outside the valley.

"It's enough now—this nest is troublesome, but not yet uncontrollable."

The great healer Aphro spoke, having not activated her ultimate ability to buff allies, as it was unnecessary.

The enemy was developing the insect swarm, and they were not idle either.

"Yeah, Mu Yushi, you handle the retreat—I've got my people ready."

Akelo activated the miniature computer embedded in his arm; upon hearing this, Mu Yushi issued the order over the war channel.

"Roar!!"

Hundreds, even thousands of Putte insects bellowed, drowning out the contractors' war cries.

"Retreat! Retreat! All of you, get back now!"

The dozen or so main tanks at the front bore the nest's weight as they stepped back slowly, the crisp ringing of metal on metal unceasing; a Putte lunged at a shield, its spider-like, sharp clawed feet scraping forward,

Clang!

Sparks flew as the clawed feet struck a main tank's metal helmet; he shook his head, a stream of gold-green energy entering his back, calming his buzzing mind.

For some reason, the contractors retreated toward the narrow pass outside, while the insect army advanced, filling the pass with dense swarms.

Soon, over six hundred contractors exited the narrow pass and joined with over two hundred ranged contractors—their first wave had merely been a probe.

"Hoo~ la la la..."

A primitive-sounding howl echoed from above the narrow pass; one by one, figures in fur skirts, their bodies etched with fire patterns, leapt down from above.

Puchip, puchip...

Blades sliced through carapace, and the insects within the narrow pass collapsed in vast numbers; even more strangely, upon death, their corpses ignited, emitting red-light particles from the flames that drifted into the primitives' bodies, making their fire patterns blaze and their muscles visibly bulge.

The Sun Tribe reinforcements had arrived—these Sun Warriors, originally meant to counter contractors of the Reincarnation Paradise, now faced Su Xiao's insect swarm, as 99% of Reincarnation Paradise's contractors had left this world.

The Sun Warriors were formidable; over a hundred thousand could wage frontal war against fourth-stage insects, and the Three Paradise Alliance now fielded over 2,500 of them—though most were elderly, their physicality inferior to youth, their combat experience far richer.

"Just watch the show from now on—you've all worked hard."

Akelo sat on a large stone, all contractors gazing at him—truly, an invisible show-off, and the most lethal kind.

"Death Paradise lives up to its name."

Learning they need not slaughter, most contractors from the Initiation Paradise smiled; after a few representatives exchanged words, they produced dozens of variably colored ores, placing them in a wooden crate.

The large crate was thrown to Akelo, who caught it effortlessly, unbothered by its several-hundred-pound weight.

"This isn't necessary..."

Before Akelo could finish speaking, he received a notification, looking somewhat surprised at the Initiation Paradise crowd.

"This is gratitude."

If comparing wealth, the Initiation Paradise contractors would undoubtedly rank first.

"This..."

Akelo hesitated slightly—he had just spoken definitively, but these ores were too valuable; by Reincarnation Paradise standards, they equaled roughly three epic-tier items, making it impossible for him not to be tempted.

"Don't be polite, big shot—this is deserved."

"The Sun Warriors were recruited by you; casualties in war are inevitable."

"Exactly, Akelo—if you don't accept, you're giving us no face."

The Initiation Paradise crowd also noticed Akelo's hesitation.

"Then... I won't stand on ceremony."

Akelo's lips twitched slightly upward; the Initiation Paradise crowd flattered him further—naturally, they wanted to cling to his strength, knowing their own situation: not fighting isn't shameful, but pretending to be strong while unable to fight is detestable.

Seeing Akelo store the large crate, the distant great healer Aphro, though silent, couldn't help but feel envy.

"Those of Death Paradise, you also have a share; Holy Light Paradise sisters, rest assured—your portion is prepared too."

The Initiation Paradise crowd each produced several ores; contractors from Death Paradise and Holy Light Paradise received one or two each.

The current battle favored the Three Paradise Alliance, especially with the Initiation Paradise's abundant rare ores, boosting morale among Death and Holy Light Paradise contractors.

At this moment, the fear once imposed by the Reincarnation Paradise's madmen dissipated, the sky seemed clearer, and they needed only to destroy this nest and its controlling contractor to secure victory—a splendid triumph!

The faces of the contractors of the Three Joy Garden Alliance were all lit with smiles, and suddenly they felt in their hearts that the Reincarnation Garden was nothing more than this.