The moment the Elite Spike-Tongue Pylon shattered, Mogensha, among those still alive, immediately collapsed into unconsciousness, his psychical energy utterly depleted; he had held on only by sheer force of will, and with the Pylon's demise, that conviction vanished. Reef's legs, meanwhile, had sustained grievous wounds, and as for Bailans, there was nothing more to be said; having lost an arm and a leg, he had pushed himself to the absolute limit, and more could not be demanded of him.

Thus, the only one still standing, gripping his fists tight, his entire body corroded by acid until he resembled a ghoul, was Fang Senyan! Yet, he stood there rigidly, possessing an imposing majesty as steadfast as a mountain range.

Fang Senyan glanced at Reef and couldn't help but ask, "Did you use the Elixir of Honor? How much life remains?"

Reef was busy bandaging his own knee, shaking his head with a wry smile. "One hundred and sixty-four points."

Fang Senyan nodded, but his heart churned with a tempestuous surge. He knew that the initial battle had seen numerous unexpected variables, especially those few Zerg ambushers that burrowed underground; these had completely derailed Fang Senyan and his team's prior plans. Consequently, the duration Reef had to hold the line far exceeded their expectations. By Fang Senyan's own prior estimation, even if Reef had reached the extreme value of fifty points in stamina and gained some form of reward, it would have only been just enough to scrape by... and that was without the ambushers!

Reef’s answer now could only imply one thing: the reward Reef gained from hitting that fifty-point extreme was even more potent than Fang Senyan had imagined! At this moment, Fang Senyan had no time to dwell on the nuances of these factors; he charged directly toward the base of the Giant Spore-Shooter Anti-Air Turret. This structure had originally been encased in a thick outer layer, but when the Elite Spike-Tongue Pylon was pulverized into a mist of blood hanging in the air, that outer layer peeled away, revealing the flesh-red interior layer beneath.

Within this inner layer were seven or eight massive, dark purple vessels intertwined, plunging deep into the core of the Giant Spore-Shooter Anti-Air Turret. The surface of these vessels was slick and mucous-coated, and each one was thick enough to accommodate a grown man. Without even needing to approach, one could see these vessels rhythmically contracting, mimicking a heartbeat; large quantities of essence were being sucked up from below in surging waves.

Undoubtedly, this was the vital weak point of the Giant Spore-Shooter Anti-Air Turret. Given that he needed to deal with seven or eight of these vessels, Fang Senyan discarded the advantage of his 27 points in Strength and instead hefted the area-of-effect Prometheus III Flamethrower, pulling the trigger with force.

Two dragons of fire erupted, searing the dark purple vessels until they hissed, sounding much like fresh meat roasting on a barbecue rack. Large blisters rapidly swelled on the massive vessels before bursting—an apparent automatic defensive mechanism attempting to extinguish the flames with bodily fluids. However, this action proved utterly useless.

This was because the Prometheus IV Flamethrower had been designed with this contingency in mind; its flame stream carried Sodium-4 particles, an additive capable of reacting chemically with water to decompose it into flammable gas or generate intense heat! Thus, the more bodily fluid sprayed out, the more ferocious the blaze became!

In a mere twenty seconds, the Spore-Shooter Anti-Air Turret, shaped like a gigantic onion, was engulfed in a sea of fire, burning completely. Looking from a distance, one could see the internal fluids reacting violently under the intense heat: shifting from pale green to emerald green to deep green—it resembled a giant balloon filled with boiling water, emitting a constant, faint green luminescence from within, bubbling and churning incessantly!

Finally, the behemoth exploded with a deafening roar, collapsing like a colossal water tower. A torrent of bodily fluids poured down like a burst dam, creating a massive cloud of white vapor amid the flames. If Fang Senyan hadn't dodged in time, he might well have been swept away by the overflowing essence.

At this moment, the Nightmare Imprint, which Fang Senyan and the others had been anticipating for what felt like ages, finally transmitted its notification: "You have destroyed one Giant Spore-Shooter Anti-Air Turret."

"Your Side Mission: The Fall of the Giant Spore-Shooter Anti-Air Turrets has met its basic completion condition."

"Mission Details: For every additional Giant Spore-Shooter Anti-Air Turret destroyed, you will receive extra rewards from both the Zerg and Human factions."

"Do you wish to continue destroying the Giant Spore-Shooter Anti-Air Turrets?"

"If you choose 'Yes,' the mission will remain incomplete, and you will have time to complete the subsequent tasks."

"If you choose 'No,' you will immediately claim your rewards, and this mission will conclude."............ After destroying this Spore-Shooter Anti-Air Turret, Fang Senyan tried again to summon a Host. Regrettably, the Host was destroyed again as soon as it approached within fifty meters of the high ground area; clearly, the defensive system on the heights remained impregnable, showing no weakness.

In response to these prompts, Mogensha remained in his psychically exhausted coma; moreover, he wasn't even on this mission, so he showed no reaction whatsoever. Reef, however, let out a long breath, about to select the option to claim the reward immediately, but he couldn't help glancing at Fang Senyan. Fang Senyan subtly shook his head, hoisted Mogensha onto his back, and simultaneously scooped up the unconscious Bailans, then strode toward the edge of the spore high ground.

"Hurry up and follow! The second patrol is due any moment now."

After the grueling fight, Reef suddenly remembered this pressing matter. The first patrol wave had already contained terrifying units like the Spine Crawler; and according to the Nightmare Imprint's hints, subsequent patrols would likely be stronger than the last! Reef immediately followed Fang Senyan’s retreating figure, limping heavily. Given their current state, if they encountered the fresh, vigorous patrol team—which was stronger than the first—they wouldn't even need to fight; the sensible course would be immediate suicide.

The second patrol was not much larger in scale than the first, seemingly built upon the configuration of the first team. In addition to an increased number of Zerglings and Hydralisks, there was still only one Stalker! However, there was one new creature added! This creature was capable of flight: a "Queen" (The Queen is a Tier-2 Zerg unit name, capable of mass production; the rare elite Queen Jani of the Black Thorn Clan is an example of this unit type).

Although there was only a single Queen, it meant that the Zerg force’s offensive capabilities increased by at least three or four modes. Of course, besides its direct lethality via "Spawn Parasite," the most troublesome ability of the Zerg Queen was the "Entangling Web," which dealt no damage but drastically slowed the speed of anyone caught in its effect. If Fang Senyan and the others were hit, it would undoubtedly allow the incredibly fast Zerglings to bypass the melee units in the front and directly engage the ranged firepower in the rear.

This time, just as Fang Senyan and his team boarded the Host acting as their transport ship, they were spotted by this blood-red, gold-striped Zerg Queen. Naturally, it charged directly toward them, intending to unleash a group slow-down with its Entangling Web. Fortunately, Fang Senyan still had a card up his sleeve; he immediately directed the remaining few Exploder Larva toward it. These creatures, practically kamikaze pilots, slammed into the Queen, scattering it into a cloud of blood mist, giving it no chance to use its abilities before penetrating the enemy formation. They managed to vent a bit of their accumulated frustration.

Zerg Hosts possess certain regenerative functions while transporting crew; at the very least, they can stabilize passenger injuries and prevent them from worsening. Bailans’ vitality was naturally inferior to that of a Contractor; having lost an arm and a leg, he was bleeding heavily and had fallen into a deep coma by the time he was "boarded"—he was directly coiled up by the Host's tentacles. The Host's brown tentacles were visible wrapping around the wounds of his severed limbs, quickly stopping the bleeding and rousing him from his coma.

Waking up, Bailans appeared disheartened and dejected—in truth, few people were cheerful after losing a limb—his miserable appearance was genuinely worrying, raising concerns he might commit suicide by swallowing a weapon. Reef sighed heavily and said, "I am sorry, I failed to intercept those damnable Zerglings."

Bailans, previously silent, suddenly roared in fury upon hearing this: "You idiot! If not for your idiotic order to fall back, we could have wiped out those dirt-dogs just standing our ground! Reef risked his life to get here, and now I'm the only one left! Look at me! Look at what I’ve become! I can never pilot the Goliath again, never race cars with them, never kick anyone's backside again! This is all your fault! All yours!!!"

By this point, Bailans had lost control, ignoring his severe injuries, his eyes bloodshot. Saliva sprayed from his mouth, and the hatred in his gaze was unconcealed. Tears streamed down his face; if he had a weapon within reach, he might very well have grabbed it and sprayed Reef. Fang Senyan sighed slightly, delivering a precise palm strike to Bailans' neck, knocking him back into unconsciousness; calming down was his most immediate priority.

In reality, Bailans' extreme reaction likely fell into the category of psychological disorder, quite common in individuals who suffer immense trauma. It was similar to watching someone in the real world smash a roadside BMW after a breakup or mugging a couple walking down the street. Furthermore, given that Bailans might have an inherent attribute mismatch—a low "Compatibility"—with Reef, such an overreaction wasn't entirely surprising. However, when Fang Senyan turned to offer Reef a few comforting words, he froze in utter shock.