Late at night, at the front line of the Three-Way Junction Fortress.
Boom!
A broken piece of crystal armor the size of a millstone rolled down the steep slope and crashed into a foul-smelling ditch beside the road, splashing up a great sheet of murky yellow sludge.
The massive Landwalking Brood Mother stopped dead at the foot of the slope, its eight heavy bioengineered legs digging deep into the hard rock.
Ahead, three ancient freight routes converged amid the collapsed remains of fortifications. The Architect's desperate survivors had piled the corpses of their own kind beneath layers of heavy blast armor, building a jagged barricade that blocked the main entrance to the interior. Atop it crouched a Tier Three Garrison Beast covered in black, barbed bone growths. Its heavy claws gripped the rock as a bloodthirsty growl rumbled deep in its throat.
"Heh. Using a pile of corpses for a door?"
Hannibal looked down at the tactical display, his mouth twisting into a savage grin.
He slammed a hand onto the control console. "Big guy, I've fed you plenty of specially mixed nutrients. If you can't tear through one guard dog tonight, I'm docking three days of your rations after the battle!"
"Quit talking and watch the road!"
Bi Ren Liang Mou stood at the auxiliary console, checking the reconnaissance feed. He marked the hollowed-out stretch beneath the barricade with a glaring red X. "Acid's eaten through the foundation on the left. It won't take the weight. Everyone breaks through on the solid rock to the right! Deck crews, lock your safety harnesses, secure the cultivation pods' membranes, and fasten those braces!"
The orders went out. Craftsmen on the Brood Mother's deck hurried into protective compartments, while the escorting Mecha and Flight Wings units spread out on either flank. Poisoned