Self-Harm

This change to the Zerg Tentacle Trap was so sudden that the outsiders were caught off guard. As a result, in areas where the repair robots had traversed, attacks occurred again just when the outsiders thought the areas were safe.

This taught the other tribes that Tentacle Trap could choose their targets, causing them to suffer significant losses.

Moreover, these Zerg Tentacle Trap will even bypass the large shield robots in front, prioritizing attacks on other rare robots or alien members behind them.

Knox Squad once lost two Z-series spider robots and one humanoid robot without even knowing it.

Later, the outsiders discovered that these Tentacle Trap could also attack repair robots and shield-bearing robots under certain circumstances.

That means that when they are exposed and about to become the target of concentrated fire, they will attack the nearest enemy unit without picking and choosing.

However, it is not easy to make Tentacle Trap detect themselves in advance. Their powerful mimicry ability not only allows them to avoid all detection instruments, but also to simulate certain injury reactions.

This has turned what was originally a simple task of traversing the area into a situation where it is necessary to attack and damage the facilities inside the cabin to a certain extent in order to determine whether it is Tentacle Trap disguised as a trap.

But doing that would be tantamount to damaging the ship's hull. The walls would be fine, but what about the precision instruments or the external protective plates?

Those sophisticated instruments themselves are probably beyond the mimicry of Zerg Tentacle Trap. But the problem is, the outer protective plates of those instruments are not technologically advanced at all.

The Tentacle Trap can mimic the metal walls inside the cabin, so mimicking those protective panels should be no problem for them as well. However, once those protective panels are attacked, they can easily damage the delicate components inside.

If it were a less frequently used scientific instrument, it wouldn't be so bad. But if it were a commonly used one, such as an energy generation, conversion, or transmission device, its failure could lead to anything from insufficient energy supply and guns going out to explosions, causing a chain reaction and potentially even causing the warship to explode.

The formidable mimicry ability gave the foreign commanders and staff a headache, ultimately forcing them to eliminate the less important parts of the ship. Even this part alone was still a Major Worker.

"Captain, if this continues, I might be able to retire by the time the entire warship is inspected."

"Haha, it's not that exaggerated. This job will only take a few years at most before it's finished."

"That's only theoretical. In reality, if things continue like this, it won't be long before the ship disintegrates due to severe damage to its internal structure." The team member who spoke was Nascito, one of the two shield-wielding ZR-2 robot pilots.

As he spoke, he manipulated the ZR-2, using his left hand to hold the giant shield and slightly clear the space in front of him, then slammed his right fist heavily against the metal bulkhead in front of him.

A tremendous sound echoed through the passage. If it weren't for the fact that the external space transmission had been shut down long ago by the team members, it seems they had already experienced a sonic attack before, and that must have been quite an unpleasant experience.

After throwing one punch, Nascito followed up with several more, striking the same spot on the wall. A dent formed by his fists appeared on the bulkhead, with cracks appearing around it.

"Alright, this board isn't reacting. No water flowing or splattering. It's a perfectly good board, even though it has some flaws now." Nascito couldn't help but complain, "Captain, I think you should raise this issue with your superiors. I'm not exaggerating. Look at this bulkhead. If the entire ship is like this, the warship will inevitably disintegrate."

Knox's voice was somewhat low. "I had already reacted before, but it had no effect. We can't just sit idly by and let the Zerg invade."

"But this can't go on like this, can it?" The person who spoke was Cassidiro, a pilot of a Z2 spider-like robot. He inspected the bulkhead by poking it hard with the tip of his metal limbs.

The front end of the metal limb can transform into a bayonet. This modification enhances Z2's close-combat capabilities. However, although it is made of a special metal alloy, the warship's bulkheads are not easy to deal with. The constant stabbing causes the root segments of the limb to wear down quickly.

"Cassidiro, take it easy. We don't have many arthropod parts left. If you break it again, we might not be able to replace it," Knox warned.

To be honest, in previous simulations using supercomputers, the Zerg Octopus Monster, regardless of size, were unable to approach the fleet due to the Coalition Army's firepower. This was indeed the case in reality; excluding the few exceptions where they held back, the Zerg Octopus Monster were indeed unable to penetrate the Coalition Army's firepower.

Therefore, their Z-series tactical defense squads are theoretically not required to participate in combat and have no practical use; their existence is more symbolic than practical.

Therefore, not many of the accessories for these mechs were carried, as they could not withstand too much consumption.

"Didn't they say the ship's smelting room has already started construction? Why don't they just have them manufacture more parts? After all, it's now considered part of the main defensive force," Cassidiro asked, somewhat puzzled.

"No, I've already asked. The small smelting room on board has limited technology. The terminal segments of the Z-2Q-15's limbs, although seemingly simple, incorporate transformation technology, which the smelting room simply cannot produce. They can only produce the large shield components for the ZR-2 now, since that only requires materials and doesn't have high technical requirements," Knox replied.

"But how long will this take? Are we just going to rely on the shield warriors to slowly chip away at it?" The Z1 is an aerial vision and support robot, and its disc-shaped structure means it's incapable of performing this kind of task. Currently, only the two remaining Z-series robots are capable of this task. If the Z-2Q-15 can't contribute, then the only robot left that can take action is the ZR-2 humanoid robot.

"Hey, what are you saying? Are you looking down on us Greatshield Warriors? Besides, adding you along doesn't make us any faster."

Even a little bit faster would be good.

"Then forget it. You just stay put and AFK like the other four. If a fight really breaks out later, there'll be something for you to do."

"Given the current situation, what's the point of fighting? Once we find their location, these things will just be stationary targets."

"That's not necessarily true. If it were that simple, we would have defeated the Zerg long ago."

"Indeed, the Zerg might have a backup plan; we cannot let our guard down."