A layer of dirt covered everyone following the nuclear explosion. Kampa and the bear robot were standing a bit further away. The other five people lay on the ground. They also noticed Kampa’s body looked a little larger and hairier.
“Werewolf transformation?” Zheng patted the dirt off his body and climbed up.
The hole from behind had become much larger and deeper. The dirt covering them was blasted off from this place. Not a single bug appeared from the hole again.
Zheng dug out the two Sky Sticks also covered in dirt then threw one to Xuan. He brought out the baskets from the dimensional bag and said. “Talk later. Turn on the Sky Stick!”
The EMP rifle’s barrel was changing in color, signifying it was overheating. Xuan connected the basket to the Sky Stick without a word then stepped on it. At the same time, lights glowed from beyond the sky like a meteor shower. Blue laser balls flew from one end to the other. Every one of them looked so big and magnificent.
Zheng and Xuan looked at each other. They knew most of the fleet were destroyed in this battle. The invasion was a complete failure. The movie didn’t show it but the hundred thousand casualty was just the estimation for the mobile infantry. Those who died from the fleet increased this number to three hundred thousand.
“Everyone get on the baskets! Gando and Kampa get on one. The rest get on the other!” Zheng shouted and lifted the Sky Stick.
WangXia took out a timed bomb, set it up, then threw it at Kampa and Gando’s direction. The blue light soared the area as plasma spheres emitted from the bomb. All the bugs that came in touch were instantly vaporized and those nearby became ignited. The bugs in this area backed off as if a layer of acid spread over the land. Kampa and Gando seized the change to run into the basket under Xuan. Then he lifted off.
Zheng followed closely and said to Lan who was beneath. “Connect my mind to Xuan. And keep an eye on any troopers nearby. If you find them then send the location to Zero.”
Lan gave an affirming response. Zheng said to Xuan. “Are the other two teams looking for us? I am afraid we might encounter the other teams if we head to the main character now. Everyone knows it will be safest staying next to the main character. If the other teams are also looking for cover there and teamed up, wouldn’t we be walking right into a trap?”
“I actually wouldn’t worry as much if that’s the case.” Xuan replied calmly. “Because that would imply they hadn’t become high ranking generals nor obtained any political power. Based on combat strength, we have over a 70% chance of winning. Your Explosion and Destruction techniques weren’t counted in our rating and we are still the strongest team here. We have a high chance of winning if you use these techniques.”
“What we need to be worried is when they don’t appear next to the main character. That would mean they obtained influence in this world, just like what you did in Resident Evil Apocalypse. You used the Umbrella Corporation but your methods were too foolish. We can leave this topic for later. The reason God allowed some teams to enter in advance was to let the weaker teams obtain enough influence to balance the strength of the teams. So you would rather pray that they are next to the main character. Then we will be able to force them into exchanging information or wipe them.”
Zheng exhaled. “Understand. If that’s the case, I think we should rescue some troopers before approaching Platoon 6 and only use weapons from the federation. We can merge with the troopers to not appear out of place. So the other teams can’t find us. What do you think?”
Xuan was surprised for a moment then thought for a bit. “My mistake that I didn’t consider this. Human nature is full of curiosity. If they see us came over to the site assigned for Platoon 6, they will be curious as to how we got there. We will merge with a squad on the premise that we are safe just like you said. Wait until the rescue ships come then we will save a squad with normal weapons.”
Zheng came out of the soul link conversation and said to Lan. “Take notice of any remaining troopers from Platoon 6 and the rescue ships that may come at any time.”
Lan’s voice came from below. “Zheng, a lot of flying organisms are approaching us at high speed. They will reach here in just a minute. Wait, let me send the image over!”
Zheng paused for a bit as the scan appeared in his mind. There were several hundred hopper bugs. Their speed was even faster than the Sky Stick. Based on the scan, these bugs were about three meters long and their wings opened up to six meters. They looked like enlarged dragonflies with sharp legs that could seemingly shred humans to pieces. The hideous look would send chills to everyone.
Lan had already sent the images to both Kampa and Gando which shocked the two of them. Kampa immediately turned the EMP rifle at that direction and began firing without even getting a clear look. Gando saw Kampa firing and followed suit. Zero set up the gauss sniper rifle and took aim. Soon, the hundreds of hopper bugs came into vision. These bugs moved so fast and their reaction speed was equally fast. Ten bugs in the front got shredded then the rest immediately spread to both sides. The bugs were suddenly closing in on the Sky Sticks from all sides like a net.
(What to do?! The jet system can speed away from the bugs but it won’t work for Xuan and the other two.)
“Descend! We will descend together! Lan, scan the ground to see if there are any holes! Hurry. Send the locations to WangXia and me. WangXia, set up the bombs so that they explode as soon as they touch the ground. We need to collapse the ground and blast the holes. We are relying on you! Hurry!”
Sweat covered Zheng’s forehead. If these hopper bugs caught up to them, he was the only one that could escape. They underestimated the bugs. The terrifying number would swarm them in a sea of bugs. Only forty seconds left. Zheng was screaming from within.
Xuan saw Zheng approaching the ground and followed suit. Lan didn’t say anything as time passed by. She stood there quietly with her eyes closed. Then her body moved a bit. WangXia activated the tomb and threw it toward the ground. The Sky Sticks were twenty meters above the ground at this time. The bomb exploded as soon as it touched the ground. The blue plasma ripped apart the ground and revealed a hole underneath. A few bugs inside were burned to ashes.
There were several more holes connected to this one but Zheng had no time to consider. He charged right into the hole with the Sky Stick and shouted for them to hold on tight. Xuan, Kampa, and Gando followed closely. Right after the two Sky Sticks got in, the hopper bugs leaped down. The two sides were less than a hundred meters apart.
Chapter 6-2
Kampa and Gando were quick to react in such dire situations. They aimed their guns at the entrance simultaneously and blasted the few hoppers near it. Then they heard the rocks cracked. Zheng collapsed the wall behind with a slash so the bugs coming out of the connected holes couldn’t get to them.
Kampa and Gando looked at each other then came to a temporary cooperation. Kampa continued shooting ahead while Gando aimed at the top of the entrance. Multiple shots from the Gatling cannon broke off a large rock and it fell down to block off the entrance. The sound of hopper bugs tackling the entrance could still be heard at their end.
The group finally got to breathe heavily despite the dirt and dust in this cave. The cave was so dark that they couldn’t even see their fingers. However, they felt much safer in comparison to the situation from before. Anything but a whole sky of hoppers.
The concept of safety didn’t exist in the world of movies. They were still so weak after obtaining their powers. Zheng was the only one who could have escaped with his Explosion or Destruction if stuck in that situation. Everyone was powerless against the number and strength of these bugs. All they could do was take a few more bugs with them.
“We underestimated the bugs. They are not crops waiting for harvest. The movie worlds won’t become easy just because we are stronger. God wouldn’t make a theme park to give out free points.” Zheng sighed.
They could hear the sound of digging through the rocks, especially from the entrance area. This sound gripped their hearts again. Zheng could see the bugs within the connected hole and the hopper bugs outside through Lan’s scan. But there was more. A huge bug was digging itself up from under the ground. It would reach them in five minutes.
“Dangers are relative. You grew stronger so God threw you in more dangerous and more rewarding worlds, just like this movie. There may be worlds in the future such as Star Wars where a human’s strength is almost negligible. You can get killed in an instant no matter how strong you are.” Xuan was still looking so calm. He readied his pistols in his arms.
Zheng took a deep breath then said to everyone. “A huge bug is coming our way from underground. It should be a tanker bug judging by its size and shape. It will break apart this cave with any hit so we have to clear the hopper bugs outside within five minutes. Xuan, Gando, and I will begin the attack now. Kampa defend the entrance. Spray to your heart’s content as soon as you see any bugs come near. Don’t be afraid of hitting us. We have the dragonshard necklace. WangXia set up bombs on the ground. With a timer of four minutes and thirty seconds. Add a few mines for additional power.”
Gando was shocked and began crying in Fumoffu!
They were confused until Lan translated in a low voice. “Why do I have to go out for the attack? The Gatling cannon is so weak and isn’t near as powerful as the EMP rifle in killing bugs. Why do I have to attack too? That’s just pushing me to die!”
Zheng gave him a cold stare and said. “I am not going to say more than this. The robot’s defensive system isn’t weak. The Gundarium Alloy armor doesn’t break so easily. You also have a AOE attack by luring bugs to you. Isn’t this the best crowd battle ability here? We are a team. Everyone should be prepared to sacrifice himself. If you don’t have this realization, I don’t mind killing you right here!” Zheng raised Tiger's Soul.
Gando immediately aimed the Gatling cannon at the people behind him. Time froze at this frame as they fell into silence until Xuan said without a hint of emotion. “Gando, I placed three plasma bombs inside the robot. If you get further than 50km away from me, the bomb will explode. If my heart stops beating for thirty seconds, the bomb will explode. The choice is yours.”
The bear robot was shaking. It lowered the Gatling cannon and muttered Fumoffu in a low voice.
The situation was urgent and Zheng didn’t look at him again. “Set the timer to four minutes. Xuan, get up in the air and attack with your gun kata. Remember to stay in the unlocked mode. Gando, lure a big swarm of hopper bugs for the electrical attack. I will use Explosion. We must finish these bugs within four minutes!”
Zheng slashed the rocks blocking the entrance with Tiger's Soul. After a few slashes, he broke the rocks with a kick. These shattered rocks flew out and knocked down several hopper bugs. Then the crimson light blade slashed them in halves.
Xuan charged out right after Zheng. The Sky Stick flew upward, instantly attracting dozens of hopper bugs to chase after him. Xuan had entered the unlocked mode. The gauss pistols were firing at every direction. But more and more bugs were crowding up on him. His gun kata was quite powerful. It covered every direction that he might get attacked. Dead bugs were dropping nonstop. The Sky Stick was also more agile than the hopper bugs under his control in the unlocked mode so nothing even got near ten meters of him.
Gando was the second to charge out. The bear robot didn’t have the best style and it cried in Fumoffu. If it wasn’t the Gatling cannon in its hands, one would have mistaken it for a comedic character.
Gando received a warm welcome just like Zheng and Xuan. Countless bugs flew at the robot. Those knife like wings that could cut humans in half hit the robot several times. The clanking sounds on the robot were nonstop and its fur had torn apart.
However, just like Zheng had said. The robot’s armor was made of Gundarium Alloy. Its toughness was extremely high. Almost all the wings that hit it got shattered, leaving only a faint trace of white on the armor. A few more tries later, the hopper bugs stopped attacking it with their wings and switched to their legs.
Gando was prepared to die when he charged out. However, seeing that the robot’s armor was so tough, he dropped his worry. He began firing the Gatling cannon but before long, a hopper bug slashed the Gatling cannon with its wings. Clank! The Gatling cannon broke in half. At the same time, another hopper bug slashed its foot and knocked the robot down.
The fall dazed Gando for an instant. Before he could do anything, several bugs lifted the robot. More and more bugs were swarming up on it and began pulling the robot in midair. The Gundarium Alloy armor was tough but the robot’s joints were not so much. Gando could hear the tearing sound coming from the robot’s joints. If the robot got torn apart, he would be exposed to these hopper bugs, a human without any abilities. The only thing that awaited him was death!
Gando cried with his heart. The fall had almost swapped the location of his arms and legs in the cockpit. His hands were so far away from the control panel. His eyes slowly went out of focus then he grabbed the joystick with his legs. The robot’s arms pushed forward and pushed away the bugs on the robot’s head. Gando flipped himself around in the cockpit and his hands reached for both the blue and red buttons.
Chapter 6-3
Blue light shone from the robot’s chest. Szz. The nearest hopper bug was burned into a charcoal. The bear robot swung its hands and crushed this charcoal. At the same time, the blue light spread out rapidly and enveloped the robot in a six-meter area. The light only lasted for a second but it burned over twenty bugs. The robot moved its arms and broke all the charcoals.
Once the bugs surrounding the robot were gone, it started to fall. Over dozens of bugs immediately flew in to fill the space. The robot was only falling from a ten-meter height. As it almost touches the ground, the metallic humps on its back finally opened up. Blue electricity spurted out and pushed it forward right before it touched the ground. Hopper bugs that were charging at it hit the ground instead. And the robot finally made it out of danger temporarily.
(My body’s still numb from the electrical attack. This state will persist for two seconds. Needs five seconds to recharge after the electrical attack. Which means I can’t dodge with full capacity for two seconds and can’t attack for five seconds. If I get caught, the robot’s joints won’t be able to sustain five seconds of pulls.)
Gando felt the world had changed. It was a sensation indescribable with words. Endless information streamed into his head, what actions to take, how to move his hands, what steps should the robot take, its balance, speed, and strength.
The speed under the electrical jets that he couldn’t take control of during training felt so easy now. His control gave the robot such fine and agile movements while the jets pushed its speed to an extreme. The robot glided short distances with every jump. The hopper bugs couldn’t catch up to it in a short period of time.
(Just running isn’t going to do it. Among people who still have power, can’t count on Zheng, Xuan is flying around, is he in the same mental state? Kampa is the only one left. But how am I going to tell him the plan? I recall Lan said she will monitor every member’s mental state. Lan! Connect me with Kampa’s mind!)
Gando was thinking intensely on how to survive. If he got caught again, he could only use the electrical attack but that also meant he couldn’t dodge at full capacity for two seconds and five more seconds before the next attack. This was his fatal weakness so he didn’t even dare to stop. The only thing he could think of was have someone clear the bugs behind him.
As he looked over, Zheng’s whole person was blurry. He couldn’t see Zheng clearly due to his movement speed. Zheng also attracted and killed the most hopper bugs. A thick layer of dead bugs piled on the ground. Every swing of Tiger's Soul brought down several more. In comparison to Zheng’s inhumane movements and attacks, Xuan’s gunning style was like magic. Continuous change of the pistols’ direction that killed one to two bugs every time and the smooth movements of the Sky Stick could only be described with perfection. However, the perfect attacks of these two people meant that they couldn’t give Gando any help. All he could do was keep on running.
The hopper bugs flew faster than the robot. He pulled away their distance several times with sharp changes in direction using his insane control. Even then, the bugs were still slowly closing in on him. The nearest one only five meters away. Gando’s heart was slowly being filled with coldness, despair and anger.
“This is Kampa. What is it?”
The voice sounded in his mind. This voice almost gave him a shock but also brought out his desire to live. He immediately shouted within his mind. “Help me, Kampa! I will line the bugs up by the cave entrance. Help me! If this amount of bugs catch up to me, then I will…”
“Understood. There’s still some time before the rifle overheats. Lure them over! I will let you take control of the firing!” Kampa paused for a moment then said.
Gando exhaled deeply. His hand movements were barely visible to the naked eyes. The bear robot was running back and forth in abnormal movements and dragged all the hopper bugs to a straight line. The robot suddenly jumped then rolled on the ground.
At the same time, Gando shouted. “Fire!”
A flare shot out from the cave entrance along with countless needle bullets. The hopper bug nearest to Gando was torn to pieces. The bugs behind continued pushing forward due to momentum. Dead bugs started piling right behind the robot.
“Great!” Zheng was still in Explosion. But the energy rings made him feel less stressful. He began talking to Lan over soul link. “Great newbie. He very similar to me. Someone that can breakthrough with ease in the direst situations. And becoming a part of the team isn’t just a verbal agreement. The team has to be good to him and he has to give for the team. Lan, how many bugs left?”
Lan paused for a moment. “137 hopper bugs left. Based on our speed, it should take about a minute. But your body…”
Zheng was still in Explosion. The Tiger's Soul was powerful but the dragonshard was almost useless against close combat organisms. The bugs could attack his body. He couldn’t neglect the bugs’ speed even in Explosion. His body was filled with wounds at this point. The worst cut was a large one on his right chest, deep enough to see his bone. A hopper bug cut it with its wings. Fortunately, his recovery rate was incredible. These wounds had stopped bleeding and cicatrized. So none of these wounds were critical.
“No problem. My body can still handle it. However, I can’t sustain Explosion for another minute.”
Zheng slashed a bug near him then clenched his teeth and exited Explosion. The bugs rapidly closed in on him due to their speed. Two more cuts appeared on his body in just a moment. Lan screamed from inside the cave. She almost charged out if it wasn’t for Kampa blocking the entrance. So she cried out by the entrance.
Zheng wasn’t looking to kill himself. He brought out the Bracelet of Anubis the moment he exited the unlocked mode. Blood energy started pouring into the bracelet. The army of Anubis rose from the ground and surrounded him with their three-meter-tall bodies as these bugs charge at him. One of the warriors slashed at the bugs with its sword.
After Zheng depleted his blood energy, he poured Qi into Tiger's Soul. The crimson light blade grew longer and longer. It’s color also turning into a deep red. He waited for a hundred hopper bugs to dive down then jumped up with the movement technique. He stepped on the shoulder of a warrior. With both hands holding onto Tiger's Soul, he slashed his sword in a circular motion. He was also draining Qi from the ring into Tiger's Soul. The attack range at this time was about twenty meters. The invisible part of the light blade slashed across numerous bugs. Broken pieces of their bodies rained from midair. After most of these bugs were killed, Zheng fell from the warrior’s shoulder and lay on the ground exhausted. The army of Anubis guarded him from all directions.