Fire Attack
The base's designers never imagined that one day this passage, originally designed to defend against external enemies, would be used in reverse to defend against attacks from within.
In their design concept, commanders located inside the base could hold out until rescue forces arrived, even if they were blocked by invaders, thanks to this passage.
They had considered the possibility of enemies breaching the base's fortified outer walls and infiltrating. Given the Duoqi Race's technological level, they possessed numerous devices capable of such an operation. However, these were all heavily armed military assets, and the military would never undertake such a task. If the military did, it would signify a rebellion among the base's inhabitants. Their design did not consider the needs of traitors.
Their thinking was indeed correct, but what they hadn't considered was that one day they would be forced by an alien race to abandon their Mother Planet and flee in disarray. After all, the Star Sea Alliance was far too powerful in the eyes of the Duoqi Race. Fighting within the rules of the Epoch Clan, no matter how intense, at least ensured the safety of their Life Star. They never expected that such an anomaly as the Zerg would appear.
Perhaps one day in the future, the Duoqi Race will have the opportunity to rebuild their Mother Planet, and at that time they may consider these issues, but at this moment, no amount of consideration will help.
"Sir, an object is approaching at high speed from 200 meters underground in the northwest direction!" An alarm sounded again from a device in the corner, and the operator shouted after checking it.
"Boom!" With a dull thud, the base trembled slightly again. Just like before, all the Duoqi in the base understood what this meant.
In fact, less than ten minutes have passed since the Swarm Tunneling Worm first collided with the Duoqi base. Perhaps the numerous tunnel gates hindered the Raider's attack, so the Zerg decided to open another front.
However, this was the last thing Duoqi Commander wanted to see. The base was already filled with people who had been abandoned by the past. They couldn't even muster enough people for normal maintenance, and most of the combat personnel were untrained recruits.
These guys can't even hold out in a single-line operation, let alone splitting their forces for a multi-front war. Looks like we need to speed things up on our side.
Since the base is definitely doomed, then...
"Order Teams 5 and 6 to lay all our mines in the tunnels, and then scatter concentrated fuel in them!" the commander ordered, waving his hand sharply.
There are only six teams in this base. Teams 1 and 2 have been overwhelmed by the Swarm and their fate is unknown. The surveillance in that passage has been destroyed, so the command center cannot see the specific situation there, but they are most likely dead.
Teams 3 and 4 accompanied the engineering team to prepare the vehicles, while the remaining two teams set up defenses. Although every Duoqi did their best in the face of a life-or-death crisis, the lack of personnel still made the mission progress very slow.
Meanwhile, the Swarm's advance did not slow down at all; on the contrary, it accelerated. So far, only a few hundred Raider had been lost. This number was just a drop in the ocean compared to the Raider's reserves. These creatures were cheap to produce, required no special materials, and some could be recovered after the battle. As long as they could achieve results, they wouldn't lose money.
The Raider rapidly approached the command center, while the defenses of the Duoqi side were not even half-finished. The operators, adjutants, Adjutant, and even the commander in the command center had personally gone down to help move supplies.
"Sir, let's retreat! If we delay any longer, it'll be too late! The Zerg are getting faster and faster!" The only remaining operator shouted, looking at the screen.
The commander dropped Median Worker and rushed over. Indeed, the two advancing Swarm were moving much faster. Moreover, they had found the ventilation ducts, and now a portion of them were spreading rapidly throughout the base along the ducts.
Although the ventilation ducts have a complex and varied structure with numerous protective measures, the sheer number of insects is overwhelming. They manage to divide their forces at every fork in the road, and their numbers show no signs of decreasing. It shouldn't be long before one of them finds its way to the command center.
"Withdraw!" The commander waved his hand and led the team toward the hangar, dropping landmines and fuel along the way. Once the landmines and fuel were used up, he ordered all the robots to guard the passageway, forming the last line of defense.
"How's it going? Can the vehicles move?" The commander asked the engineering team as he bent over, panting heavily, as he arrived at the hangar.
"Eleven more trucks are being refueled; we'll be done soon."
"Very good..."
A deafening boom interrupted the commander's words, followed by a series of explosions. Moments later, a wave of heat swept into the hangar through the passageway, raising the temperature inside.
This is the landmine they just laid that exploded. The explosion ignited the concentrated fuel, so the command center must be a sea of fire by now.
"Hopefully we can stop the insects' attack!" the commander prayed silently, then urged his team to speed up.
Landmines are very powerful, and their power increases even more in a confined space like a tunnel, but this one-time attack damage is nothing to the Raider.
Fires caused by concentrated fuel, however, are a form of continuous damage. The Raider, being cheap constructs, still faced difficulties navigating the hundreds of meters of flames, even with some fires lit.
Fortunately, Rowan had considered this scenario when designing them. Therefore, the Raider's acidic bodily fluids also served other purposes. This fluid was not only highly corrosive, but also released a large amount of chemical gas when heated. This gas was very heavy and had extremely strong adhesive properties.
Once generated, these substances adhere to the burning material, forming a barrier that isolates it from the outside environment. This is equivalent to trapping the burning material in a sealed environment. Although the concentrated fuel contains some oxidizer, without external replenishment, this oxidizer is quickly depleted, and the flame gradually goes out.
Although the flames were extinguished, the metal floor and walls remained hot. The Raider army, however, did not hesitate and surged forward into the passage.
The first Raider to come into contact with the scorching metal were quickly injured, their bodies cracked, their body fluids heated, their circulatory systems disrupted, and they lost the ability to move.
But instead of struggling or trying to climb onto their companions, they lay down on the spot, using their bodies to create a safe path for the companions that followed.
In this way, the metal floor and walls were as if covered with a layer of Raider plaster, and the high temperatures could no longer harm the army. Although some Raider were lost, the traps set by Duoqi were also broken.
Unfortunately, the Duoqi, who had already evacuated from the command center, wouldn't have seen this scene; otherwise, they would have been deeply moved.