With Chu Xuan leading the way, after they had cut down nearly a hundred of the boarding party, the sequence for boarding the rescue ships was finally settled. Following this order, everyone moved toward the ships swiftly and silently. Each vessel carried one hundred support soldiers who hadn't seen any combat; upon witnessing the iron-fisted suppression led by Chu Xuan, these newcomers were severely shaken. They immediately submitted to Chu Xuan’s direction, helping clear a path for the exhausted soldiers and securing the perimeter near the cliffs.

Compared to the imminent breach at the main defensive line, the swarm of flying bugs erupting around Qiao Bi was far more terrifying. In hand-to-hand combat without ammunition, humans needed ten or even more individuals to fight the bugs to the death. Such high attrition quickly caused a massive rout among the soldiers. These soldiers, after all, were not those from millennia past during the cold weapon era; asking them to fight desperately without ammo or weapons was an impossibility. Furthermore, the person leading them nearby was Ling Dian, a man utterly unfamiliar with military matters, so by the time the great rout began, nearly a hundred flying bugs had already appeared on the periphery.

The reinforcement soldiers descending from the spacecraft, under Chu Xuan’s command, began engaging the surrounding flying bugs. Those company-grade officers who had previously deferred to Zheng Zha and the other three also stepped forward at this critical moment, each leading small squads to engage the flying insects. Remarkably, they were still following Chu Xuan’s directives. During the preceding hours of fighting, these officers had clearly grasped the gap between themselves and the group of four led by Zheng Zha. Whether in the severity of enforcing military law, or in command deployment and defensive strategy, they were lacking by more than a small margin. Thus, at this juncture, military rank meant nothing.

What truly mattered was that the capable must lead.

In addition to the increasing number of flying bugs clinging to the surrounding cliffs, the main front was finally broken. As the giant Tank Bug lumbered its way to the main barrier...

Its massive pincers began to swing, and Zheng Zha finally roared, "Fall back! Everyone toward the convoy of rescue ships at the center of the mountaintop!" All soldiers felt utterly pardoned and began scrambling madly toward the rescue vessels at the summit. Zheng Zha urgently shouted to Wang Xia, "Fire, Wang Xia! Launch the remaining two micro-nuclear warheads! Launch them at the swarm behind the Tank Bug—we must stop the main body of the swarm from approaching!" Wang Xia nodded.

He raised the shoulder-mounted micro-nuclear launcher and fired it directly at the horde behind the Tank Bug. After a violent flash of light, Wang Xia dropped the shoulder-mounted launcher, bent down, and reached for another launcher resting on the ground near Chu Xuan’s feet. However, just as he bent over, the Ground-crawling Bugs following immediately behind the giant Tank Bug lunged forward madly. At this point, the Tank Bug was only about fifty meters from Wang Xia.

While the Tank Bug moved slowly, the dozen or so Ground-crawling Bugs behind it moved with terrifying speed, closing the distance to within a short reach of Wang Xia in the blink of an eye. Simultaneously, a silhouette interposed itself in front of Wang Xia.

Zheng Zha roared, "Wang Xia! Hurry and launch the micro-nukes! I can’t hold these bugs off for much longer!" Wang Xia was, by nature, a special forces soldier with unwavering resolve.

When the dozen Ground-crawling Bugs lunged out, he heard the command and immediately relaxed his body, focusing all his attention on the launcher. As Zheng Zha intercepted the swarm...

The trigger was pulled on the launcher in Wang Xia’s hands. The last micro-nuclear warhead shot toward the firelight. Wang Xia then dropped the launcher and bellowed, "Go! Zheng Zha! Run!" Zheng Zha was currently using a sharp claw to stab deep between the mandibles of one Ground-crawling Bug. Before the mandibles could clamp shut, his hands were already free from between the teeth, and he agilely dodged the bite of another bug. He planted his foot and lunged again, kicking the bug’s head with immense force. The impact shattered the bug’s carapace, and thick green viscera spewed from its skull.

Zheng Zha heard Wang Xia’s shout, but at that moment, he was entangled with more than a dozen bugs and had no time to escape. He could only yell desperately, "Wang Xia! You run first! If you engage these bugs in close combat, you will die. Trust me... that is an order!" Wang Xia hesitated for a moment, then turned and sprinted toward the rescue ships. By then, the first rescue ship had begun its ascent, and many soldiers cheered loudly. Only Zheng Zha remained in the distance, constantly wrestling with the swarm.

He fought while retreating toward the rescue ships, and the agility of these bugs, along with their horrifying attack power and biting mandibles, was no joke. During this continuous fight-and-flee, several large chunks of flesh had been torn from Zheng Zha’s body.

"Pop-pop-pop!" A series of rapid-fire shots rang out, and the two bugs immediately behind Zheng Zha collapsed. Zheng Zha looked back in alarm; both bugs had been killed by hits to the eyes. Near a distant rescue warship, Ling Dian held a standard-issue Federation weapon, squinting silently as he aimed. Simultaneously, his voice transmitted directly into Zheng Zha’s mind, "Keep running! Don't stop, I will cover you against these bugs!" Hearing this, Zheng Zha took a deep breath. He stopped evading the bugs' attacks and instead activated his qinggong (lightness skill), sprinting madly toward the rescue ship where Ling Dian was stationed, leaving his entire rear completely exposed to the bugs. When he heard the sound of rushing wind right behind his head...

He knew it was a bug's claw attack, yet he didn't turn or dodge, placing his safety entirely on his trust in Ling Dian.

Indeed, Ling Dian did not betray that trust. Before the bug could strike Zheng Zha, the bullet from Ling Dian's weapon tore through its eye. After those one or two seconds of sprinting, Zheng Zha was already five meters clear of the swarm. His maximum running speed was decidedly faster than that of the Ground-crawling Bugs, so after this momentary buffer, he had safely escaped the danger zone. Next, the many soldiers standing inertly beside Ling Dian finally snapped back to attention and raised their weapons. Concentrated firepower immediately shredded those dozen bugs into sieves.

Zheng Zha sprinted swiftly to Ling Dian’s side, grabbed him, and demanded, "Where is everyone? Why haven't you boarded the ship? Zhan Lan, mark the positions of all team members!" Zhan Lan had clearly been monitoring Zheng Zha’s safety the entire time. As soon as Zheng Zha spoke, she immediately scanned and mapped the locations of all team members, linking the images directly into Zheng Zha's mind. Except for Ba Wang, who had already boarded a ship, Zhan Lan and Luo Gandao stood not far from Zheng Zha, quietly queuing with a group of ordinary soldiers to board the ship. Judging by the remaining slots, they should board the second rescue ship in about tens of seconds—this was consistent with what Chu Xuan had told them: keep a low profile, avoid attention, and keep their location unknown to the other team... Seeing the two about to board the rescue ship, Zheng Zha breathed a sigh of relief. He then looked toward Chu Xuan, who was standing on the third rescue ship, directing soldiers to board. Wang Xia stood beside him. Finally, only he and Ling Dian remained. Ling Dian silently returned his weapon to a nearby reinforcement soldier and then joined the queue for the second rescue ship.

Only then did Zheng Zha truly relax. The Tank Bug was still several hundred meters away, moving extremely slowly. The bugs at the base of the mountain moved quickly, but their ascent path had been obliterated by the two micro-nuclear attacks. As long as the rescue ships took off on time, everyone could safely return to space.

Just then, a soldier hurried over to Zheng Zha and snapped a salute: "Sir, Lieutenant Lai Qi requests that you board the second rescue ship immediately. He says you require emergency treatment..." Only then did Zheng Zha notice that his body was covered in wounds, the congealed blood nearly dyeing him crimson. An ordinary person under such severe injuries would certainly have died long ago. He could only offer a self-deprecating smile before turning and walking toward the first rescue ship. This was perhaps the privilege of an officer: bypassing the queue and walking directly alongside the line to board the vessel. The queuing soldiers said nothing, for they had already recognized the Sergeant Major with the broken hand—it was he who had saved the army when it was at its lowest ebb... This was the shared understanding among the soldiers.

The interior of the rescue ship was vast; otherwise, it could not accommodate over a thousand soldiers. The entire interior was divided into four decks, with the officers situated on the third deck. Zheng Zha took the elevator up with the soldier. When the elevator reached the third deck, the entire ship began to vibrate slowly. The soldier quickly said, "We are finally preparing for takeoff..." Zheng Zha slowly moved to the window and looked out. With a tremor, the ship finally lifted off the ground. In Zheng Zha’s consciousness, the seven members of his team were all aboard rescue ships: one in Ship One, four in Ship Two, and two in Ship Three. Seeing Ship Three successfully take off, the heavy weight in his heart finally settled. Just as he was about to look away, his peripheral vision caught the Tank Bug extremely close to the fourth rescue ship. As the ship prepared for departure, the Tank Bug’s carapace reared up, followed by a brilliant blue halo that enveloped a quarter of the rescue ship... Jump to

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