Chapter 173: Encirclement

Boom—!!

Rumble—!!

The skyscrapers on both sides, already half-collapsed, had windows exploding one after another!

Countless black, twisted shadows, like maggots breeding on rotting flesh, swarmed out from every breach!

They no longer charged from the ground.

These monsters clung to the vertical walls, descending onto the armored convoy below like a black, lethal downpour, ramming down audaciously!

"Above! They're above!"

"Anti-air! Anti-air fire!"

The heavy machine gun's barrel jerked upward wildly, orange flames tearing the dim sky, and the special ammunition exploded into clumps of silver liquid on the Spider Humanoid's body.

But there were too many!

They were practically endless!

One Spider Humanoid was blown apart in midair, and immediately three or five more pounced from behind, using their massive bodies as flesh shields, slamming hard into the convoy!

"Bang!!"

A monster slammed precisely onto the roof of the armored vehicle Jiang Yuan and his companions were in, emitting a deafening roar.

The whole vehicle shook violently, and Jiang Yuan inside felt his organs all out of place.

Immediately after came a teeth-grating metallic scraping sound.

"Screech—"

The monster's claws, unbelievably, scarred the special-alloy roof with several terrifying gouges!

"Impact! Watch out for impact!"

The driver roared, slamming the steering wheel, trying to evade another monster falling from the sky.

But it was already too late.

"Boom!!"

Another violent collision.

This time, the monster struck precisely onto the left track of the armored vehicle.

"Creak—!"

A piercing metallic twisting sound rang out to the extreme.

The armored vehicle lurched left, leaving a long spark across the ground, and finally, with a huge bang, it was completely crippled.

"Dammit! The track's broken! We can't move!" The driver's voice was filled with despair.

"Abandon the vehicle!"

Wang Zhangzhi's voice was so cold it lacked any warmth, yet it instantly drowned out all panic and noise.

"Everyone! Prepare to break out on foot!"

The moment the crowd burst out of the steel fortress, the true horror of the Zhijiage Feixu unfolded completely before their eyes.

A foul, stench-filled gale slammed into their faces.

From all directions rose surging black tides; the monsters' hyperflexed limbs scraped the ground, producing a "rustle" sound, and countless pale eyes stared deadlocked at the fresh flesh of the group in the gloom.

"Cover! Cross cover!"

"Maintain formation! Don't fall behind!"

A young NAU soldier named Rui En, nervous, held his gun, leaning against another teammate.

He was too young; his hand gripping the gun trembled.

"Hold on, Rui En! Think of your Annie! We'll definitely make it back alive to see her!" the teammate shouted encouragement.

Annie......

A flash of brilliance flickered in Rui En's eyes.

At that moment, a Spider Humanoid sprang from the shadow on the flank, its claws tracing a deadly arc.

"Careful!"

The teammate shoved Rui En aside forcefully, but was brutally slashed across the arm by the claws.

"Pfft!"

The heavy protective suit was easily torn.

"Ah!!"

The teammate let out a scream, staggering backward.

Rui En looked on in terror; on his teammate's arm, at the tear of the protective suit, a fine black pattern was spreading upward at a visible, frantic speed!

No...... no......

The teammate's gaze shifted from excruciating pain to extreme terror.

He looked at his rapidly blackening arm, then raised his head to his comrades, eyes full of pleading.

"Kill... kill me!"

He roared, his voice already beginning to warp and distort.

"Quick! Before I become that thing! Kill me!"

Before the words finished.

"Kach... kach kach..."

A spine-chilling sound of bones cracking erupted from within him.

His body, in a posture defying human anatomy, began to fold backward.

The spine shattered, limbs twisted, the head rotated a full 180 degrees, and his face still bore human terror.

The whole process took less than five seconds.

A brand-new Spider Humanoid, still dripping fresh blood, was born.

It raised its head, its scarlet eyes locking onto Rui En, the nearest one, and let out an inhuman shriek as it lunged madly forward!

"No......"

Rui En was completely stunned, watching helplessly as his former comrade turned into a monster and lunged at him.

"Bang!"

A silver bullet struck the monster's head with perfect accuracy.

It was Mo Shu.

Her delicate face showed no expression, only icy coldness.

The monster turned into a pool of Black Water in its death throes, but the mental shock it dealt to everyone was devastating.

Morale plummeted to freezing point in an instant.

Their own comrade, right before their eyes, turned into a monster and was then shot dead by friendly fire.

Hell, nothing more.

However, on the chaotic battlefield, the Grim Reaper never rests.

Just as everyone lost focus, a pair of scarlet eyes snapped open in a pile of construction debris behind Jiang Yuan.

A Spider Humanoid that had lain hidden for long sprang up like a spring, silently lunging at the back of Jiang Yuan's head!

Its speed was too great—Jiang Yuan only had time to feel a deadly gust of wind!

"Watch out!"

Mo Shu's fierce shout exploded in his ear.

Jiang Yuan felt a huge force strike from the side, slamming him hard to the ground in a clumsy fall.

He jerked his head around.

He saw Mo Shu, in shoving him aside, overextend her dodge, lose her footing on landing, and step squarely on an exposed Reinforced Steel Bar.

"Ah!"

Mo Shu cried out in pain as a sharp crack sounded from her ankle, and she crashed hard to the ground.

Worse still, she had fallen onto a jagged pile of construction debris.

"Rip!"

A sharp Reinforced Steel Bar sliced a long gash in the leg of her protective suit!

Although no blood flowed, the skin exposed to the toxic air made Jiang Yuan's heart stop dead!

"Mo Shu!"

Jiang Yuan's eyes instantly turned blood‑red, an uncontrollable surge of rage and terror rocketing from his chest to his Heavenly Spirit Cover.

But just then!

"Stop, something's wrong up ahead!"

Wang Zhangzhi's icy, urgent voice came through the communicator.

On the tactical scope, an image popped up from the forward recon drone.

In the direction they were heading, a large number of red heat sources were converging!

They were surrounded!

At the same time, the pursuers behind them were already within striking distance, their dense howls nearly bursting their eardrums.

Ahead lay an ambush; behind, pursuers.

They were completely surrounded.

There was no way out.

Jiang Yuan rushed to Mo Shu's side, hoping to help her up.

Mo Shu's forehead was slick with cold sweat from the pain; she glanced at her torn protective suit and badly sprained ankle, then at the Spider Humanoids closing in from all sides like a tide.

She knew she had become a burden.

In this death ground, bringing along an immobile casualty amounted to signing the whole squad's death warrant.

Moreover, her protective suit was ruptured, risking infection.

Mo Shu gave a grim smile, tinged with resolve and release.

She shoved Jiang Yuan aside and drew the silver specially‑crafted pistol from her waist.

In Jiang Yuan's horrified gaze, she pressed the cold muzzle against her own temple.

"Jiang Yuan."

The girl's sweet voice now carried a heartbreaking calm.

"Don't worry about me......"

"You guys hurry up and go!"