Airdrop

After intense research by the Coalition Army's Think Tank, it was decided to prioritize attacking the Zerg's Ancient Class, because even if they were brought into close combat, these larger Ancient Class units would be far more destructive.

As for the smaller Space Octopus, the Coalition Army temporarily deployed Drone formations to block them.

However, since the war mobilization, the space factories built have been primarily warship production lines, and metal smelting has prioritized warship manufacturing. The production lines for Drone have not increased much, and there is also a shortage of materials. Therefore, the current Coalition Army fleet does not have a full complement of Drone, and some warships only have a Drone or so.

However, because the number of warships is very large, the sight of densely packed Drone swarms arrayed in neat formations is still very spectacular, but the total number is still several orders of magnitude less than that of Mature Form and Larval Form.

In the void, where there is no sun or moon, after several days of fierce fighting, the Swarm, relying on its numerical advantage, divided the battlefield and subsequently broke through the entire Coalition Army's defenses, penetrating into the vicinity of the orbit of the Life Star they were protecting.

Some Mature Form opened their Storage Sac and released a large number of Spore Pod from near orbit toward the Life Star. The Spore Pod are covered with multiple layers of shell, which helps them insulate themselves from external environments such as high temperatures.

Furthermore, the cartilage between the shells provides excellent cushioning during strong impacts.

Beneath the carapace lies a sac-like tissue modeled by the Creep gene. This tissue is not only filled with fibrous structures that increase the toughness of the sacs, but also contains small air sacs that further reduce the damage from impacts.

Inside the cyst is a space of about 3-5 square meters, which can carry some Creep Seed, Insect Empress larvae, and some land combat units. They are the latest generation of air-dropped Spore Pod after several improvements, and these are the things that the Mature Form drop.

A large number of Spore Pod fell freely through the atmosphere, and the sparks generated by friction, combined with their sheer number, made it look like a spectacular meteor shower from the ground. Some unsuspecting people in Meto even closed their eyes and made wishes.

But they soon realized something was wrong. These "meteors" were increasing in number, spreading endlessly, and even illuminating half of the sky.

Although the Meto garrison on Life Star did not know what these things were, they knew that a great battle was taking place on the dome, and they had communicated with the Coalition Army and learned that these things were not the work of the Coalition Army.

Since they weren't Coalition Army, the owners of these things were obvious. Even Meto could guess that these beautiful "shooting stars" were definitely not good things.

The Meto defenders opened fire, unleashing a barrage of all sorts of anti-aircraft weapons; they even brought out old-fashioned gunpowder-based kinetic anti-aircraft guns.

However, these "meteors" are not inanimate objects; they can use air sacs in their bodies to alter their descent trajectory and even slightly change their falling speed. Moreover, they are small in size and fast in speed, which makes it difficult for the Meto garrison to achieve ideal results with their anti-aircraft weapons, except for various lock-on weapons.

The "meteors" were still falling, and the anti-aircraft firepower near the cities on the Life Star was strong, annihilating most of the "meteors" heading towards them. However, the Meto Race could not deploy defenses indiscriminately throughout the entire planet. In those suburban and wilderness areas, the number of anti-aircraft weapons was relatively small, and their firepower was also weak.

The Zerg immediately noticed this, and began hurling more Spore Pod into these areas.

Finally...

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

The roar continued, and the extremely high speed caused the Spore Pod to slam heavily onto the ground. However, their unique, multi-layered impact-resistant structure reduced most of the damage, and some were even bounced back and hopped around on the ground and under the trees before slowly coming to a stop.

The dry forest was ignited by the high temperature, and in the firelight, the Spore Pod split open.

Some of them sprang out several ground units, while others were Worker Bee carrying Creep Seed and Insect Empress larvae crawling out. Some crawled out insect-like units with large Digging Leg, clearly skilled at burrowing, while others simply emerged as Tunneling Worm larvae.

After a quick inspection to identify any potential hazards, various excavation units began digging on-site. Worker Bee, carrying their Insect Empress, burrowed underground and planted the Creep. The Spore Sac were also decomposed, serving as the first source of nutrients.

During this period, other marine units dispersed to patrol outwards, address various uncertainties and risks, and gather intelligence.

Although the anti-aircraft fire around the Meto Race city was fierce, some lucky Spore Pod still managed to penetrate the artillery barrage and land near the city.

These creatures not only experienced a rather nerve-wracking fall, but their condition after the fall was far worse than that of their counterparts in the mountains and suburbs. Their environment was much harsher, so they had to seize every second to hide themselves.

Traditional digging techniques became the best option, which is why a large portion of the ground units deployed in this round are capable of digging.

Those who cannot dig tunnels will rush into the Meto Race to create chaos and cover their companions.

Soon, in less than half a minute, apart from the combat troops still causing chaos, the rest of the insects had disappeared from the surface. Even if the Meto Race soldiers came here, they could only look at the digging marks on the ground and curse.

The Coalition Army forces in space saw the Swarm's movements, but it was too late to stop them. By the time they desperately tried to plug the breach again, the Swarm had already launched several airdrops.

"Sir, a message has arrived from the ground forces."

"So, what did they find out the Zerg dropped?"

"Sir, the ground forces say that optical instruments have detected that the Zerg have dropped some kind of air-drop landing device. Ground forces went to the site and found some Zerg units, but not many."

After speaking, the communications officer opened several images and videos that had been transmitted simultaneously. The images showed Meto Race soldiers battling spider-like insects and small beasts. Although these Zerg units were extremely fierce, their small numbers meant they were eventually eliminated one by one by the soldiers equipped with advanced weaponry.

"Have the research reports on these monsters been released yet?"

"No, although they aren't strong, the Zerg still added Gene Lock to them..."

"Damn it, tell the ground troops to be careful. The Zerg don't do things without a reason." The Zerg painstakingly threw down so many things, only to have them wiped out without a trace.

The Coalition Army commander on LKDW262's side, although also fighting the Zerg for the first time, White Grub couldn't be such fools. Something was amiss; it was best to be cautious.

The fierce battle in space was unaffected by the battle on the ground. Both sides fought intensely, with large groups of warships or Ancient Class frequently withdrawing from the battlefield to repair and replenish their losses.

A dozen days later, just as the Coalition Army commanders had predicted, the Zerg did not make any futile moves. A large number of Zerg units appeared out of nowhere on the Life Star and launched an attack on the Coalition Army ground forces.