Chapter 277
Fire!
Whoosh whoosh--
Lasers and large-caliber electromagnetic guns unleashed hundreds of beams, cratering the mushroom caps and blasting the oncoming Bat Dragon to pieces in mid-air.
This was a rain of iron and blood. Yuki saw tall buildings being Piercer, mushroom clouds rising from the ground, and the air instantly heated to thousands of degrees. Even with targeted evolution, flesh and blood could not withstand it.
The battlefield descended into chaos, and as the holes torn open by the fungal caps grew larger, the detectors transmitted images back from the center of the bombing zone.
Amidst intense interference and countless snowflakes, Yuki vaguely saw a small mountain, upon which countless fireballs erupted, splattering patches of flesh and blood.
Is that the Queen?
Yuki squinted and saw the small hill in the center of the bombing suddenly move and break free from the artillery fire.
"It moved?"
"Yes, they are moving the entire commando team."
The beacons returned the same feedback, and hundreds of friendly beacons moved hundreds of meters instantly, which was clearly a passive action.
This is finally confirmed. There's nothing more to say; the friendly beacon is just a point of light stuck to the Queen. No matter how the giant worm runs, it's always under the gun barrels in the air.
However, the swarm also has a countermeasure: the Brain Bug distributed on the outskirts of the city gather under the fungal umbrella, and the soul force field they create can form a shield.
"Main gun charging, aim at the captain." Yuki suddenly spoke, startling everyone else. This was too ruthless; he was going to annihilate both sides at once.
Before anyone could persuade her otherwise, Yuki waved his hand and said, "I don't intend to actually bombard it. Who knows where the Queen's weak point is? Even if we did fire, we probably wouldn't kill it."
"Are you trying to scare it?"
"Yes, otherwise the Queen will really hold out until the main force of the Zerg returns, which won't do. It has to play by my script and launch the final battle under the most unfavorable circumstances."
"But the main gun takes thirty minutes to cool down. If we fire one shot, we'll be in danger. Have you forgotten that the Zerg swarm also has anti-air capabilities?"
"Hey, attack the enemy and they'll have to defend; these are the Anti-Star Bug I've been waiting for."
Yuki's smile was chilling; he looked like a cunning fox.
The entire plan—calculation, planning, and execution—was meticulously executed, each step linked to the next. Since the player was able to find the true form despite being on high alert, the Queen dared not gamble that the enemy knew nothing more.
"Do as Mr. Yuki says." The commander-in-chief immediately gave the order. He felt that the entire staff combined was not as cunning and shrewd as this man, who was good at assessing situations.
"Yes, positron cannon activated, target—friendly beacon number one."
A crack appeared at the front of the warship, from which a square cannon barrel extended. Countless golden arcs of electricity surged as the giant cannon, inherited from the colonial era, charged up, powerful enough to Piercer any known object, even the soul force field couldn't withstand it.
Just then, countless high-energy reactions appeared on the map.
"Anti-Star Bug Sector C3; they are targeting this ship."
"Good, let's sink the bow and fire the first shot at these 'dandelions'." Yuki clenched his fist, finally drawing out the swarm's anti-aircraft positions, which he had seen in outer space.
The best way to shoot down this warship is to deal with the Anti-Star Bug, which are powerful but weak. Since Yuki has not seen them, he concludes that the Queen is trying to buy time.
But when the main cannon was aimed at the Queen, these Anti-Star Bug had no choice but to emerge, spewing out huge, azure orbs of light.
"Maximum power for the protective force field! All personnel prepare to withstand the impact!"
A huge blue light shield appeared at the bottom of the warship, and dozens of orbs of light floated up, but a golden torrent was faster than them, rushing down like a waterfall.
Piercer the soul force field and plunged deep into the eastern part of the city.
Boom---
A giant mushroom cloud rose from the ground, and the detector could not see anything except the earth cracking and rows of high-rise buildings being swept away by energy.
A large patch of the fungal carpet was suddenly bald, and the shockwave spread towards the plain, leveling the nearby forests and villages. The Anti-Star Bug were nowhere to be seen.
Is the power really that exaggerated?
Yuki's eyes widened. This thing was far more powerful than the 'Mechanical Believers's' railgun. At the same time, he felt a violent tremor under his feet and quickly grabbed the corner of the table for support.
Knock knock knock.
A muffled sound came from beneath the floor, red lights flashed in the bridge, and those azure orbs of light also pierced through the protective force field, exploding at the bottom of the warship.
"Z, X, and M regions are damaged; nanobots have been deployed."
"Anti-gravity device damaged, ship is falling."
"Maintain posture. The nanobots prioritize repairing the anti-gravity device and do everything in their power to keep the altitude at 10,000 meters."
Yuki understood why the Hope had gone into stealth mode. The swarm had clearly learned its lesson and evolved special tactics to counter the Anti-Star Bug. No wonder the Hope never dared to use its main guns unless absolutely necessary.
You deployed the King, and the half-hour it took to charge the main gun was enough for the Anti-Star Bug to be riddled with holes. But now it's different. The swarm was exposed first, and Yuki's single shot blew up their anti-aircraft positions.
"I'd like to see what other cards you have to play." Yuki placed his hands on the table, his eyes gleaming. "If the swarm can still pull out a few dozen Anti-Star Bug, I'll admit defeat."
These advanced Zerg were clearly not just ordinary grunts. Yuki of a second round of bombardment, countless insects flew into the sky, as if startled by a flock of birds.
It's here!
Everyone's expression changed, yet they also felt it was only natural. There were still one hour and forty minutes before the main Zerg force returned to reinforce, enough time for the Hope to annihilate the city along with the assault team using its main guns.
In other words, the queen, who was fighting on her home turf, had no choice but to follow the script written by Yuki.
This was somewhat unbelievable, and it greatly boosted morale.
"In this way, the pressure on the ground will be reduced. Queen, do you want to save your life or keep the Fire Seed? It would be best to be greedy and have both." Yuki muttered to himself, feeling all eyes on him.
People who want to gain respect and command authority don't rely on rousing speeches, but on their ability to meticulously calculate every step.
"So-called strategy is nothing more than creating the best conditions for a decisive battle. Prepare for boarding action, and then we'll see who's the best." Yuki looked at everyone with a detached gaze. He had done everything he could to create an opportunity.
Whether the Queen comes or not, once the last Zerg reserve force is eliminated, humanity can concentrate all its forces to decapitate them.
"Understood. Everyone proceed as planned. The Royal Guard and the Judge, move out." The Commander-in-Chief seemed to have forgotten that he was the master of the house. He saw hope and his mind was filled with thoughts of ending the war.
But before he could finish speaking, Yuki grabbed his shoulder and pressed down on him. This commander-like player only had one sentence:
"Don't be so optimistic, prepare to implement the final solution."
Chapter Thirty-Nine: One Man Can Hold the Pass Against Ten Thousand (6K)
The final battle has begun.
The humans were not in a hurry. The moment the commando team's communications were cut off, they exposed their trump card, which led to them being surrounded and attacked by the Zerg reserve team that had been hiding all along.
At this critical moment, they dared to wait until they regained a complete picture of the battlefield and confirmed that the commando team had found the Queen.
The swarm could not allow the enemy to wreak havoc inside the Queen's body. They had no choice but to deploy their elite forces, which should have been used to seize the Fire Seed, to defend the Queen. This was instinct, an instinct that transcended everything.
Without hesitation, humanity immediately increased the stakes, having its warships provide aerial cover, and then, with a do-or-die attitude, activated its main cannons.
The enemy is forced to defend against the attack, Anti-Star Bug are forced to jump out to provide cover, only to be wiped out by a single shot.
With their main force entangled by the frenzied humans and the Queen under attack, the Zerg swarm had no choice but to exploit this hour-long window of opportunity, and their original battle plan was completely disrupted.
The original plan was to use overwhelming force to land on the airships under the cover of the Anti-Star Bug, and seize the Fire Seed in the shortest time. But now, all the preconditions have disappeared, leaving only the traditional method—
They fought desperately, paving their path to evolution with corpses.
Thousands upon thousands of insects swarmed into the sky. Even though Yuki did his best, the strength of both sides did not fundamentally change until the queen was eliminated immediately.
Missile trails filled the sky, exploding into blood-red spheres in the clouds. All sorts of strange insects rushed upwards recklessly, some of which were new species that had never been seen in any records and had been deliberately preserved until now.
For example, a huge, balloon-like worm is a flying Brain Bug that releases a soul force field, causing various high-tech weapons to lose their target.
For example, a strange insect with wings on its back, resembling a pea shooter, continuously spews out dark green spores. When these spores land on a warship, an electronic virus spreads, causing a large area to spiral out of control.
The Queen had been preparing for this day for a long time, especially since the latter type of insect had caused Johnny Silverhand a lot of trouble and made morale fluctuate like a roller coaster.
Even with such a brilliant series of schemes, the pressure from the swarm was still overwhelming.
The warship had dropped to 20,000 meters, and the distance between the two sides was getting closer and closer. Of course, the Hope was firing at full power, also caused terrifying damage. The dense barrage turned thousands of insects into minced meat and fell down.
"One kilometer."
The insects at the front were almost within reach, and they were quickly blasted to pieces, but those behind them stepped forward, trampling over flesh and blood.
"Activate the ship's internal defense array, lower the blast doors, and have all troops move to the upper decks. Also, send a squadron to guard the engine room."
"They're going to come around from both sides, deck anti-aircraft guns ready."
The bridge was busy yet orderly. Johnny Silverhand was a super artificial intelligence, and with his assistance, this warship, with its greatly reduced crew, still possessed formidable combat power.
The biggest problem with the Hope is that it has too few people. Apart from the thousand or so Marines left behind, the only ones who can really be of use are 100 Psychic Warrior. They are mainly Guards and Judge, and although they are more powerful, they are not enough to defend the entire warship.
Besides these, there are five other players: Yuki, Smiling Lady, Aslan, Reiner Braun, and Johnny Silverhand.
"100 meters."
"The Zerg swarm is boarding the ship!"
The first Samurai Bug, riding a spore, crawled in through a gap in the armor. A red dot appeared on the ship's internal projection, and this pioneering bug was quickly eliminated by the ship's defensive firepower.
But the second and third insects, like ants, kept burrowing in, making the red dots denser and denser. Then the remaining insects circled around the sides of the ship and entered Yuki's field of vision.
Da da da da...
Above the sea of clouds, various turrets spewed out dense barrages of bullets, and the surrounding area was filled with countless fireballs. The Bat Dragon spewed out sticky liquid, covering their kind as they rapidly descended.
The Zerg swarm isn't stupid either. It would take a lot of time to attack upwards from Z District, while Area A, where the Fire Seed are stored, is located just below the bridge.
But the main force of the defense was also here. Yuki nodded slightly to the commander-in-chief, who waved his hand, and dozens of guards lined up in neat rows to meet them.
The Hope is so large that the insects that burrowed in from the lower decks won't be able to reach the upper decks anytime soon, so the deck is the key.
"Besides me and Smiling Lady, everyone else, go for it. Mr. Silver Hand, release the drones," Yuki said again, and the players whose names were called did not hesitate at all.
Reiner Braun silently walked into the elevator, Aslan simply stood outside the porthole. Several spores exploded on the glass, making the cracks on it more and more obvious.
The blue-haired boy took a deep breath, held a strangely shaped metal ball in his hand, and looked at the Incandescence battlefield.
"I will launch into battle in Gundam form."
Bang--
The glass shattered, and a sudden gust of cold air rushed in, causing the operators to scream. As fragments flew everywhere, Yuki opened his mouth.
Grass.
Someone actually piloted a Gundam, and it wasn't what he had imagined. He saw Aslan jump out of the window, and in the dim light, a steel Giant over ten meters tall was being reassembled.
Cold armor appeared, layer upon layer covering the boy's body, quickly transforming him into a red-painted robot.
This is less like Gundam and more like a magical boy transforming.
"ZGMF-X09A Justice Gundam, unfortunately Aslan couldn't maintain it for long, and the power of various weapons was only about 60% of the original version."
Johnny Silverhand was explaining things from the side, which made Yuki's expression even stranger.
It's less like a Gundam and more like a natal magic weapon from a cultivation world. How could it be upgraded? But after thinking about it, he felt relieved.
This kind of war machine requires an entire team to maintain, which is simply impossible for a player. Besides, how could a player-versus-player battle allow you to take the machine out and calmly sit back in the cockpit?
"It's Reincarnation Game, what's the point of talking about science?" Yuki muttered, thinking to himself that he had underestimated Aslan. The small Zaku from before was probably for different battles; this was his full power.
Gundam flew outside the bridge, using a shield in one hand to block and a beam rifle in the other to counterattack. Its azure tail flames reminded Yuki of another famous scene.
It accelerated suddenly, put away its rifle, and its bright beam saber slashed down several Bat Dragon before disappearing directly into the anti-aircraft barrage.
It's too bulky and not fast enough. I have a hundred ways to dismantle it, except for the ability to fly.
Yuki offered a brief assessment from the enemy's perspective: Aslan wasn't adept at small-scale or confined area combat, no wonder Johnny Silverhand wanted to keep him. As for the other one—
Is that the Armored Titan?
A Giant about ten meters tall was rampaging on the deck. It had a lobster-like shell that even the Samurai Bug's blades could not Piercer. It held a giant black spear in its hand and attacked while dodging.
It's much more agile than a Gundam, and can even do fancy tricks like the Thomas Spin and backflips. With its palm outstretched, it can unleash a beam of light that blows the head off a diving Bat Dragon.
The core elements of 'Giant' remain unchanged, but after entering the Reincarnation Game, there are too many paths to become stronger.
Yuki was truly amazed; compared to Aslan and Reiner Braun, Hayasaka Ai and the others were incredibly simple.
With the intervention of players, and the addition of those dozens of ornate tin cans, the battle on the deck finally stabilized, and the swarms of insects that managed to get through the barrage of bullets could no longer find a foothold.
But no one let their guard down. These were just low- to mid-level insects, designed to drain their energy; the real experts were yet to come.
"Where are that cursed spirit and the Yato?" Yuki kept scanning hundreds of surveillance screens. These two monster-level players hadn't shown up since the beginning.
"The advanced Zerg haven't appeared either; they're waiting for an opportunity to launch a fatal attack."
Everyone knows that this balance can be broken in an instant, whether on the deck or inside the ship.