Blood Road

"Save me! My oxygen supply system's been damaged... I-I can't breathe!"

"My mecha's out of energy. I can't even fire a single shot."

"No... I don't want to die. This is my first expedition!"

Calls for help and anguished cries came one after another over the All-Channel.

Hearing them, the support forces on the perimeter were frantic with worry. They fought desperately, but still couldn't break through the Beast Tide's surging, wave-like front.

"Captain, we can't keep this up."

Lu Feng suddenly spoke over the squad channel.

Gao Zhan immediately asked, "What have you found?"

"I can sense at least five thousand Drill Bulls within a ten-kilometer radius, and their numbers are still increasing."

"You can sense them?"

"Yeah."

Gao Zhan was a little surprised.

He knew Lu Feng had an innate ability to tame beasts, but he hadn't expected him to be able to sense the size of a beast horde, too.

Lu Feng had only just discovered that he possessed this ability.

For now, though, his range was limited to ten kilometers. He couldn't sense anything beyond that.

The battlefield stretched for hundreds of kilometers.

At this density, the entire Beast Tide could number in the hundreds of thousands, and it was still growing.

The forces that had come to help consisted of just seven legions from four military regions on Tianlan Star: Jinzhou, Tongzhou, Luozhou, and Mianzhou. Their combined strength was fewer than five thousand.

Breaking through a Beast Tide of hundreds of thousands was all but impossible.

"Damn it! Aren't those Legion Commanders all Grandmaster Experts? What are they doing? Why aren't they stepping in?"

One of the Chasing Wind Squad members couldn't help complaining over the channel.

Gao Zhan remained silent.

He knew the Senior Officials had their own considerations. They would never casually abandon their plans just because Warriors on the front lines were in danger.

A moment later, Gao Zhan suddenly switched to the All-Channel and called out:

"I'm Gao Zhan, captain of Chasing Wind Squad, 115th Legion of the Jinzhou Military Region. Based on reliable estimates, there are at least two hundred thousand Exotic Beasts on the battlefield. A frontal breakthrough is no longer possible. There's only one way to save our brothers in the 121st Legion."

"I'm Zhang Tingyuan of the 177th Legion of Luozhou! Comrade Gao Zhan, may I ask how you determined the number of Exotic Beasts?"

"I can't explain that in detail right now. But I'm asking everyone to trust me—assemble immediately 586 kilometers away, at a bearing of thirty-five degrees southwest. We have to concentrate all our forces and tear open a gap in the Beast Tide's encirclement. It's the only chance to rescue the survivors of the 121st Legion."

The All-Channel fell silent for a moment. Then Zhang Tingyuan was the first to respond. "All right! I trust you. I'll bring my unit over right away."

"Count us in."

"Our squad will be there soon."

As more and more units answered the call, mecha from expedition squads quickly gathered around Chasing Wind Squad's position.

Sitting in his mecha's cockpit, Gao Zhan swept his gaze over the thousands of friendly blips rapidly converging on the radar screen. He drew a deep breath and issued his orders in a low voice:

"All units, listen up and follow my orders! Chasing Wind Squad will form the spearhead. The 177th Legion of Luozhou will take the left, the 176th Legion the right, and the remaining squads will follow in staggered formation. We'll form a 'sharp wedge'! We have one goal—to punch a hole through and save our brothers in the 121st Legion!"

"Understood!"

"Copy!"

Short, resolute replies came from the squad captains over the channel.

The scattered mecha began moving in formation with impressive efficiency.

Gao Zhan's black mecha led the charge, like the tip of a spear.

The thirty-odd members of Chasing Wind Squad followed close behind, calling out the weakest points in the horde as they went. "Eight hundred meters ahead! The Drill Bulls are less densely packed there!"

"Concentrate fire! Fire!"

Dozens of mecha fired at once. Their searing beams converged into a destructive torrent, instantly vaporizing a vast swath of the densely packed Drill Bulls and leaving a vacuum in their ranks.

"Push forward! Don't stop!"

Gao Zhan roared as he drew the gigantic chain-saw sword from his mecha's back and sliced in half a massive Drill Bull lunging at him from the flank.

"Pressure's mounting on the right!" a captain from the Tongzhou forces shouted.

"Leave it to me!" Fang Qing cried.

Her mecha's weapons system fired off precise bursts, each shot striking a Drill Bull and easing the pressure on the right flank.

"Keep pushing forward."

Amid roars and gunfire, the formation struggled onward, but steadily advanced dozens of kilometers.

The mangled remains of countless Exotic Beasts littered their path. Dark red blood left scorched patches across the soft sand.

"I see them! Our brothers in the 121st Legion!" someone suddenly shouted over the channel.

In a relatively open hollow ahead, the 121st Legion had once been at full strength, with six hundred members. Now, barely more than a hundred mecha remained, forming a broken circle with their backs to one another as they struggled to hold out against the Beast Tide.

Mecha fragments lay scattered across the ground around them.

The bodies of hundreds of Military Region Warriors were mixed with the countless corpses of Drill Bulls, their dark red blood soaking the entire area.

"How could it... come to this?"

The Legion Warriors who had come to the rescue were all stunned by the horrific sight.

An entire legion of six hundred had been reduced to barely more than a hundred still fighting.

And this was only the first battle of the expedition, yet they had already paid such a terrible price.

Many Warriors from civilian clubs who were taking part in an expedition for the first time felt a trace of retreat stirring in their hearts.

"Reinforcements! The reinforcements are here!"

The soldiers of the 121st Legion cried out over the All-Channel.

The previously impenetrable encirclement had been torn open by force. Dozens of mecha raced through the gap, giving those trapped in a desperate situation a glimpse of hope.

"Please, save us!"

"My mecha's cracked... I-I can't hold out much longer!"

"Move! Get them out of there now!" Gao Zhan yelled hoarsely, charging forward first.

The 115th Legion, led by Chasing Wind Squad, surged ahead like a torrent of steel, quickly shielding the remaining forces of the 121st Legion in their midst.

Behind them, thousands of mecha from the other legions continued pouring out searing beams, doing everything they could to keep open this lifeline bought with blood and cover the orderly retreat.

Just as the rescue seemed to be progressing smoothly, a commotion suddenly broke out on the right flank of the defensive line.

One squad from the 116th Legion, which was supposed to cover the flank, had "accidentally" fallen back several hundred meters under the Beast Tide's assault.

The sudden turn of events left an opening in the dense web of fire.

The Drill Bulls seized their chance, surging through the gap and charging straight at the rear flank of the 115th Legion, which was coordinating the withdrawal!

"What's the 116th Legion doing?!" Gao Zhan roared over the channel. "Seal the gap immediately!"

"What's going on? Night Owl Squad, what are you doing?" Several squad captains from the 116th Legion demanded over the All-Channel.

The squad that had retreated was Night Owl Squad, led by Zheng Yi.