What a massacre; the sheer number of these bugs is terrifying. They truly live up to their reputation for annihilating a human army of one hundred thousand within a few hours...

Bawang watched the occasional bugs appearing on the ground. While the numbers weren't high in his immediate vicinity, the entire surface below kept undulating incessantly. Untold swarms of insects lay beneath, the very ones that had caused such a brutally devastating battlefield by wiping out 100,000 humans in a mere few hours.

Zero Point silently raised his Gauss sniper rifle, then looked up at Zheng Zha and asked, "What now? We can't just fly straight into the Sixth Mobile Force like this, can we?"

Zheng Zha had just snapped out of his conversation with Chu Xuan. After Zero Point spoke, he paused in thought before replying, "Zhan Lan, what about that group of several hundred you mentioned? Have they been wiped out by the bugs?"

Zhan Lan closed her eyes for a moment before saying, "No, the number of people in that group is actually growing. They’ve been gathering scattered soldiers along the way, and the officer leading them is quite capable. He always chooses to travel over hard, rocky terrain where the bugs can’t launch subterranean attacks. Also, when they engage the bugs, many shoot at once, combining the power of many rifles, which allows them to clear out the moderate swarms. Moreover, they are about to rendezvous with the remnants of the Sixth Mobile Force; by the looks of it, they should link up in about ten minutes."

Zheng Zha considered this. "Good. Then we'll land just behind them. We'll follow the path they've cleared, merge with that group, and seize the opportunity to link up with the Sixth Mobile Force..."

Zhan Lan relayed the message to the other three. A moment later, she spoke again, "Understood, the message has been passed on. Zheng Zha, I’m sending the location of that unit, the surrounding topographical map, and the bug distribution directly into your mind now..."

Zheng Zha nodded, and several images materialized out of thin air within his consciousness.

Just beyond the slope where the group was situated, there was a remnant unit of about a thousand people. They looked to be in terrible shape; a significant number were missing limbs, either arms or legs. Fortunately, this thousand-strong remnant, having endured the baptism of war and bloodshed, was no longer hesitant or fearful when confronting the bugs, instead offering organized, retaliatory fire. A limited number of bugs posed no significant threat anymore.

"Then... we'll land here. It’s a steep slope, so they won’t be able to see us from over there. We can ditch the gear and run over; it should only take five minutes to catch up to that unit."

Zheng Zha selected a steep slope on the topographical map—a spot perfectly obscured from the other side and not too far from the current troop cluster. It was the most suitable landing location nearby.

When the seven of them arrived at the slope via the Green Goblin Gliders, the planet's dim environment aided them. Under normal conditions, people could only see one or two hundred meters ahead; things a kilometer away were practically invisible. Since these soldiers weren't enhanced individuals, the landing of the Green Goblin Gliders went entirely unnoticed. After dismounting, everyone stowed their respective weapons into spatial bags. Zheng Zha pulled out the standard-issue Federation weapon—a pathetic piece of junk with the stopping power of an assault rifle, yet somehow it was the primary armament in this high-tech era. Bawang grumbled while holding the little thing.

"Alright, alright, run up the slope. We can reach that unit in just a few minutes... There are only a few bugs on the way; the seven of us with these guns are enough to take them down. Let's go! Once we link up with the Sixth Mobile Force, we should be basically safe!" Zheng Zha clapped Bawang on the shoulder, then glanced at Luo Gandao, who was still visibly trembling, before addressing the rest.

However, Chu Xuan suddenly interjected, "Zheng Zha, if that unit encounters a large swarm of bugs, you need to display the maximum combat effectiveness of an ordinary person. Exceeding it slightly occasionally is fine, but it would be best if you could lead a portion of the soldiers as you usually do... If you can establish yourself as a sergeant, or even a higher-ranking lieutenant, our subsequent actions will become much smoother. Do you understand what I mean?"

Zheng Zha nodded. He checked the firearm in his hand, hoisted Zhan Lan onto his back, and bolted toward the slope.

The seven moved with surprising speed. Zhan Lan and Luo Gandao, the physically weakest, were both carried piggyback—Zheng Zha carried Zhan Lan, and Bawang carried Luo Gandao. They sped toward the unit, killing several bugs along the way. It had to be admitted that the standard-issue weapons provided by the Federation government were utterly inferior; they merely sparked off the bugs' carapaces. Unless they hit the eyes or mandibles directly, hitting anywhere else had no effect. Fortunately, their combined fire volume was sufficient, and Chu Xuan's Gauss pistol remained concealed in his sleeve. He was the only one among them who retained significant combat power; if the bug numbers swelled, he could use the Gauss pistol to easily dispatch them.

In any case, after several minutes of travel, the group finally caught up with the main unit. More accurately, the rear guard soldiers spotted the seven newcomers. Initially, more than a dozen soldiers tensely aimed their rifles at the approaching group until an NCO shouted a command to halt. Only then did the soldiers realize they were aiming at seven fellow humans, and a wave of relief washed over them. Zheng Zha and the others, standing nearby, exchanged silent glances. It was clear this unit was already composed of jumpy survivors. While these soldiers maintained basic combat ability, their spirits were close to collapse; this was merely a desperate, dying struggle.

The NCO who stopped the firing waved Zheng Zha's group over. When they ran up, he sighed in relief and said, "It’s a miracle; the seven of you actually survived too. Alright, the most heavily wounded go to the center for dressing. You five report to the lieutenant; you go to the center too, woman. Keep the wounded guarded in the middle."

The group exchanged glances. The NCO directed Zheng Zha to the center for wound dressing, even though, apart from being covered in gore, the wounds he sustained fighting the flying insects had almost completely healed; he just looked terrifying. Zheng Zha thought for a moment, gestured for the other five to move, and then walked toward the center of the formation with Zhan Lan.

The thousand-strong group huddled together, presenting a semblance of formidable presence, no matter how tightly packed. As he walked, Zheng Zha whispered to Zhan Lan, "Connect my consciousness to Chu Xuan's. Also, keep a close watch on the bug distribution around us. If any large swarms gather, tell me immediately; we can use our high-tech weapons to clear the area without issue. The key is ensuring the safety of the seven of us..."

Zhan Lan nodded, and Zheng Zha's consciousness instantly linked with Chu Xuan's. At that moment, Chu Xuan and the other four were walking toward a cluster of arguing officers near the left-center of the unit. A middle-aged officer with a metal arm was shouting fiercely, "Even though our Iron Fist unit fought its way out of the bug swarm... Damn it, who named it the 'bug swarm'? It's frighteningly accurate... we've suffered seventy percent casualties! Everyone newly attached is just a bunch of rookies! Our only hope for survival now is linking up with the remnants of the Sixth Mobile Force, relying on our superior numbers to hold the defense, and waiting for those idiots above to send down rescue shuttles! And you want me to take men to rescue other small detachments of the Fifth Mobile Force? Why don't you go die yourselves?"

Chu Xuan's eyebrows twitched slightly. He mentally messaged Zheng Zha, "Did you hear that? This is the Iron Fist unit. In the movie plot, they killed the most bugs and were one of the teams that survived. This means we have an eighty percent chance of safely returning to the battleship... provided there are no other Reincarnation Squad members among these thousand people."

Hearing this, Zheng Zha's brow also twitched. He quickly and quietly asked Zhan Lan, "Zhan Lan, is there a psychic scanner in this unit? Or anyone who can block your mental scanning?"

Zhan Lan shook her head in reply. "No, they are all ordinary people. I don't sense any psychic scanning or blocking... If such a person existed, I wouldn't have been able to scan this thousand-plus unit earlier. That person could have shielded the entire area."

Zheng Zha breathed a sigh of relief. He gave a few more low-voiced instructions to Chu Xuan and the others, telling them absolutely not to move until he reported in. In the center of the formation were at least three hundred ambulatory wounded soldiers and more than ten critically injured personnel. The scene was the most direct testament to the brutality of war. Maimed soldiers with missing hands or legs were everywhere, their wounds crudely bound with bandages and gauze; some were still being tended to. The dozen or so critically wounded looked even worse—not only were limbs severed, but some had suffered evisceration, surviving only by sheer luck. Additionally, there were one or two hundred female soldiers, either maintaining perimeter security or dressing wounds. They looked utterly terrified, flinching at every sound, clearly acting out of sheer panic. This unit was little more than a pack of desperate stragglers; the soldiers holding the rear guard seemed relatively elite by comparison.

Zheng Zha hastily dressed his own superficial wounds. Before he could take any further action, a commotion erupted from the left side of the formation. Chaos began to spread from that direction, followed by the eruption of a column of fire. A giant, flame-spitting beetle appeared on the left flank...