273: Golden Bee Swarm and Desperate Counterattack

Those dozens of dark gold streaks of light were as fast as a flash of thought; one second they had just burst from the exploded 'bait' Ore, and the next, they were already closing in on the bound hull of the 'Hidden Dragon'!

The angular, polyhedral crystals flickered with a cold, dangerous luster against the backdrop of starlight and debris.

'It's a physical attack! With a high-energy signature!' Senior Brother Li's scalp tingled, his fingers moving so fast over the control nodes that they left afterimages. 'Activate automatic defense array! 'Active Armor' prepare to absorb the impact!'

'Hidden Dragon' reacted even faster! Silver light flashed rapidly across the hull's surface, and the 'Flowing Silver' armor in certain areas instantly thickened and hardened locally. At the same time, several hidden defensive Star Pattern lit up, forming several thin but tough energy deflection fields around the hull.

However, the attack method of these dark gold crystals was completely unexpected!

They did not strike or explode directly; instead, the moment they approached 'Hidden Dragon,' they suddenly transformed as if they possessed life!

Their hard, angular edges rapidly softened and extended, turning into thin yet exceptionally tough energy chains shimmering with a dark golden metallic luster!

The tips of the chains extended into drill-like spikes, carrying high-frequency oscillating energy waves, and slammed viciously into the hull of 'Hidden Dragon'!

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Most of the chains were deflected or repelled by the deflection field and hardened armor, but seven or eight still successfully broke through the defenses. Like greedy leeches, their tips 'nailed' firmly into the gaps in the armor or relatively weak joints of 'Hidden Dragon'!

[Hit! Detected high-frequency energy oscillation and erosive metal energy injection! Attempting to interfere with target structure and energy core!] For the first time, a distinct sense of 'pain' and 'sluggishness' appeared in the consciousness of 'Hidden Dragon.'

Those chains 'nailed' into the hull not only vibrated wildly, attempting to tear the armor and widen the wound, but also continuously injected a cold, viscous stream of dark gold energy from their tips, carrying a strong desire for 'exclusion' and 'assimilation.'

Wherever this energy stream passed, the activity of the 'Flowing Silver' armor was suppressed, the operation of the Star Pattern circuits became sluggish, and even the local energy supply of the hull was interfered with!

Even more troublesome was that the binding force of the spatial sticky net seemed to have found a leverage point due to the 'nailing' of these chains, and the binding force increased once again! At the same time, the efficiency of energy extraction also rose sharply!

The hull of 'Hidden Dragon' began to tremble uncontrollably, and the light of its deep blue 'dragon eye' flickered unsteadily.

'Bastards! These damn things can suck blood and cause paralysis!' Zhao Iron Pillar (via remote communication) was jumping up and down in anxiety over at the base, wishing he could immediately carry his greatsword and fly over to hack them to pieces.

'Analyze the energy properties! Find the weakness!' Wen Youyi forced himself to stay calm, his brain racing.

Pure starlight energy burning was effective against the spatial sticky net, but would it work against these dark gold chains that possessed both physical and energy attack characteristics and seemed to have a more precise structure? Would attacking the chains directly trigger an even more violent backlash?

[Target energy property analysis: A combination of highly ordered metallic energy and some kind of imprisonment and assimilation will, with a stable structure and high resistance to conventional energy attacks. Its weakness may lie in... the fragility of the energy conduction nodes and internal will link.] 'Hidden Dragon' endured the discomfort and analyzed quickly, [Recommendation: Use high-intensity, ultra-high-frequency 'starlight oscillation wave' to attempt to destroy its energy structure stability from within, while interfering with its control will.]

starlight oscillation wave? This was one of the new features loaded after 'Hidden Dragon' was upgraded, still in the testing phase. Its principle was to release highly condensed starlight energy after oscillating it at a specific ultra-high frequency. It was similar to 'ultrasonic cleaning' and had miraculous effects on precise structures or energy aggregates, but it consumed a huge amount of energy and placed an extremely high load on the emitter.

'Prepare immediately! Lock onto all chains intruding into the hull! At the same time, continue to burn the weak points of the spatial sticky net!' Wen Youyi made a decisive decision. He had to use a two-pronged approach; breaking free from the restraints and clearing the 'parasites' inside the body had to be done simultaneously!

Inside the hull of 'Hidden Dragon,' several special energy convergence nodes began to operate at overload, emitting a low hum. On the hull surface, around the locations where the dark gold chains were nailed in, silver light began to flicker and oscillate violently at a frequency difficult to capture with the naked eye!

Sizzle... crackle... A strange sound, as if metal fatigue were breaking mixed with energy annihilation, came from the contact points between those chains and the hull. The dark gold chains began to tremble violently, their surface luster became intermittent, and the injected viscous energy stream also began to stutter.

It's effective! The oscillation wave destroyed the precise energy conduction structure inside the chains!

At the same time, the starlight focusing array was still burning the spatial sticky net with full force. Under the continuous high-intensity starlight burning, a corner of the sticky net was finally torn open, creating an increasingly large, irregular 'hole'!

'Now! Maximum thrust! Break free!' Wen Youyi shouted.

All of 'Hidden Dragon's' thrusters, along with its internal 'muscle fiber bundles,' simultaneously erupted with all their power! The entire hull shook violently!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Several dark gold chains that had already suffered structural damage snapped first! Dark golden energy sparks burst from the broken ends, then dimmed and dissipated.

Taking advantage of this momentum to break free, 'Hidden Dragon,' like a spring compressed to its limit, brazenly rushed out through the 'hole' in the spatial sticky net!

Boom! Behind it, the spatial sticky net and the remaining chains, having lost their target, futilely contracted and collided, triggering a chaotic turbulent flow of energy.

'Hidden Dragon' had successfully escaped! However, four or five dark gold chains that were more deeply embedded and not yet completely broken remained on the hull, like maggots attached to bones, continuously causing interference and energy extraction. Many parts of the hull's armor were damaged, and the energy level had also dropped significantly.

[Successfully escaped the main restraint! Residual hostile units are still causing continuous damage and interference. Energy reserves have dropped to 65%.] The report from 'Hidden Dragon' carried fatigue, but its consciousness remained clear, [Recommendation: Temporarily disengage, prioritize clearing residual threats, and repair damage.]

'Approved! Retreat to a safe distance immediately!' Wen Youyi did not hesitate. The enemy was unknown, the traps were continuous, and continuing to fight hard would only lead to losses.

'Hidden Dragon' endured the discomfort, turned its direction, and accelerated back along the way it came. Those few remaining chains dragged in the air, attempting to continue entangling it, but 'Hidden Dragon' constantly adjusted its posture, using the starlight oscillation wave to continuously weaken them, while the hull's self-repair function began to operate at full power, attempting to seal the wounds where they were nailed in.

However, they seemed to have underestimated the 'intelligence' and 'persistence' of this 'trap.'

Below, from deep within the ruins where the camouflaged Ore vein in the 'Anvil' area was located, came a more violent, more dense surge of energy! It was as if it had been thoroughly enraged by 'Hidden Dragon's' escape and counterattack.

Countless dark gold points of light, like a disturbed beehive, poured out from every gap and shadow in the debris! Densely packed, numbering in the hundreds or thousands! They circled briefly in the air, then, like a school of sharks that had smelled blood, chased madly after the retreating 'Hidden Dragon'!

The real 'Swarm' had arrived!

These newly appeared dark gold points of light varied in form; some were still polyhedral crystals, some had turned into sharp, javelin-like shapes, and some even resembled metal flying insects with wings spread. The only thing they had in common was the cold, greedy, and unrelenting pursuit intent they emitted!

'My god... we've poked a hornet's nest!' Wang Wu's face turned pale.

'Hidden Dragon's' detection System was sounding frantic alarms, and the threat signals from behind instantly filled the entire monitoring screen.

[Detected large-scale hostile unit pursuit! Speed is extremely fast! Threat Rank: High!] The consciousness of 'Hidden Dragon' was extremely grave.

With the complex environment of the debris area blocking the front, and thousands of unknown 'Gold Crystal Swarm' chasing from behind, 'Hidden Dragon' was injured and low on energy; the situation took a sharp turn for the worse, instantly reaching the edge of life and death!

'We can't run in a straight line! Use the debris terrain!' Wen Youyi's gaze swept across the intricate 'steel jungle' ahead, and a bold and risky plan instantly formed. ''Hidden Dragon,' use your flexibility! Lead them to those areas where the structure is unstable and energy turbulence is dense! Let the environment help us eliminate some of them!'

'At the same time, Senior Brother Li, prepare the 'spore induction plan'! Find a way to 'infect' the pursuers with the energy signature of these few 'tumors' (residual chains) on us, triggering infighting or chaos among them!'

In this desperate situation, one could only seek victory through danger!

(End of Chapter)