Chapter 41: Intense Battle!

"Zhou, your cigar is really good."

"I feel much better now, like I've rested for half an hour."

As he took a puff of the recovery cigar, Mark exclaimed in surprise.

"Of course, this is made from rare ancient Chinese medicine, a limited edition within limited editions. It's also hard for me to get my hands on it, but someone as tough as you deserves this kind of premium product."

Zhou Yuan laughed heartily.

It's the same old routine, emphasizing the rarity of the recovery cigar, then expressing his generosity while complimenting the other party.

"You're a tough guy too!"

Upon hearing Zhou Yuan's words, Mark's smile widened, and he gave Zhou Yuan a friendly pat on the back.

Everyone likes to hear compliments.

"Mark, how many waves of insect swarms do you think there will be?" Zhou Yuan asked curiously after a brief chat.

"A lot!"

Mark's expression tightened and he said seriously, "There will be at least five waves, each bigger than the last."

"The main force of the first wave of insects was the ones wandering around the fortress perimeter. They came the fastest but in the fewest numbers, just an appetizer."

"At around nine o'clock, the bugs in the distance will be lured in by the communication window, and that's when the real insect swarm will start."

"Just relying on the defense wall won't stop them, so we need the support of the flying and mechanical troops."

"Watch and see, the scene will be unforgettable, locusts will become the sky, soldiers will become the earth, all you can see is darkness."

"I'm looking forward to it."

Zhou Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, already feeling excited inside.

It seems like Talitha Fortress was the right choice.

He talked to Rico the day before, and Rico and the others were still doing physical training over at the sailor base. They hardly ever see any bugs in a day.

If you consider the New Recruit Camp as joining the army, Rico and the others are already in the army divisional level, starting from basic training.

And he had just joined the border reconnaissance company, which meant he was going to the battlefield right away.

... ...

After a short break, the second wave of insect swarms came.

The second wave was slightly larger than the first, but it was still not considered the "official" insect swarm that Mark mentioned.

"Tsk, endless explosive soldier flow!"

Zhou Yuan once again activated his quad KVP heavy machine gun, feeling quite impressed.

The Federation had once made a calculation that there were a total of 20 million bugs on Mars.

This 20 million refers to the restrained quantity.

The special combat units of the fortress go out every day to search for and bomb insect swarms.

Because sand beetles can breed so fast, one time they can produce more than a thousand insect eggs, if no countermeasures are taken, Mars would have been overrun by the insects long ago.

Some people used to say that in front of technology, any resistance of carbon-based lifeforms is futile.

Now it seems that this statement is not entirely correct.

Let's take the damn Arachnids, their reproduction speed is much faster than the rate of weapon manufacturing, and no matter how much you kill them, you can't kill them all.

Even if in the future there is a Q-bullet that can explode stars, it still cannot completely wipe out the insect race.

Because the insect race also has the ability of interstellar travel.

If it weren't for encountering humanity as an opponent, the insect race would easily occupy the entire Milky Way, leaving only desolation on every planet.

... ...

During the second wave of insect swarms, Zhou Yuan's harvest was greatly reduced, barely keeping up with half of the first wave.

This was because the fortress mobilized the mechanical troops.

The firepower of the mechanical troops was very powerful, and they had the best weapons in the fortress.

Even if the defense battle couldn't be fought at full power, the mechanical troops could still produce one batch after another of equipment that made the defense troops envious.

Cluster missiles, tactical nuclear bombs, heavy robots, etc.

These equipment that are hard to see on normal days were now piled up in large quantities on the defense line like goods sold at a market stall.

Looking at the mechanical troops starting to move, Zhou Yuan felt very unhappy.

So, those military crates with nuclear labels earlier were all for the mechanical troops.

But there was nothing he could do about it. Each person has their own responsibilities.

"So this is the Mechanical Troops."

"They once they move, we'll have nothing to do." 

"Don't look at them having a blast now, they only have three days with communication windows open to have fun in a month, and they can't see any bugs for the rest of the time." 

Seeing Zhou Yuan staring at the heavy robot on the patrol wall, Mark thought Zhou Yuan was envious and patted his shoulder heavily. 

"Oh?" 

Zhou Yuan raised his eyebrows, feeling much better. 

If the mechanical troops could bomb bugs every day, he would consider applying for transfer, after all, there's no way shooting machine guns is as fun as shooting missiles. 

"The Jumper is about to enter the battlefield, all units prepare for combat." 

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" 

At that moment, the broadcast in the fortress rang out again, followed by a burst of sonic booms. 

"Zhou, look over there!" 

"The main force of the swarm is coming, tell your team to be careful!" 

Mark was experienced, immediately reminding Zhou Yuan. 

Looking in the direction Mark pointed, Zhou Yuan's face immediately darkened, and he used his earphones to tell his team: "The locusts are coming, watch out!" 

The flying troops came back on the skyline in front of them. 

They were followed by countless locusts, which were like black mist, dyeing the skyline into a black abyss. 

Not only was there something happening in the sky, but there was also a commotion on the ground. 

Endless soldiers and insects entered Zhou Yuan's field of vision, and they were like waves, forming a black quilt on the land. 

At a glance, it confirmed what Mark had said earlier. 

Locusts would turn into the sky, soldiers would turn into the earth, and all you could see was darkness. 

This scene was truly unforgettable. 

... ...

The flying troops did not return to the fortress, but turned their heads and rushed toward the right side of the fortress defense line. 

Locusts are very dangerous, so they are ready to lure the swarm away. 

Unfortunately, the number of locusts they can lure away is not many, only a tributary of the swarm. 

The signal from the large communication window was too strong, and the bugs were all rushing towards the fortress, so it was difficult to distract their attention. 

However, this also gave the flying troops an opportunity. If the swarm didn't care about them, then they could attack the swarm with all their might. 

Missiles were fired out one after another, igniting the dark sky covered by the swarm. 

Everywhere was filled with fireballs from explosions, and everywhere was filled with debris from fallen insect bodies, just like a meteor shower falling spectacularly. 

The flying troops had a great time, and the defense troops didn't just sit back and watch. 

The defensive forces with high anti-air capabilities, such as automatic turrets, automatic machine guns, watchtower heavy machine guns, heavy robots, etc., all opened fire at the same time. 

The swarm must not be allowed to cross the defense line, otherwise, trouble will be brewing. 

Locusts are infantry killers, if they are allowed to confront infantry, then the ground soldiers will not be able to suppress the insects. It's time for tactical warfare now.