231: Death Arrow

Sand and dust swirled, carrying the stench of sulfur and burnt flesh, scraping like knives across the desolate, shattered land.

The remaining dozen or so special forces members, with He Jingrui at the spearhead and Ban Yangming and Li Xing on the flanks, formed a broken but still sharp arrow formation, launching a desperate charge towards the giant pulsing hive, which resembled a living creature.

Bullets were scarce, thrown grenades only bought a moment's respite, and the metal-fatigued gun barrels were hot enough to sear raw meat.

All they could rely on now were small pistols that wouldn't make a splash, notched tactical daggers, scavenged alien beast bone spikes, cracked fists, and a fierce resolve burning in their chests—a determination to bite off a piece of the enemy, even if it meant death.

With each step, their boots sank deep into the mud, mixed with viscous liquid and shattered bones.

Each suppressed roar meant another comrade had fallen.

A member of the Sharp Blade Squad, in order to plug a gap on the flank, roared as he lunged at a centipede-like alien beast spitting acid, plunging his dagger into its compound eye, only to find himself surrounded by several smaller alien beasts.

Another demolitions expert from the War Wolf Squad, seeing his comrades struggling to advance, gave a grim smile, pulled the pins on his last few high-explosive grenades, and rolled into the densest part of the beast horde, clearing a path for his comrades.

Their numbers dwindled rapidly.

Hope, like a candle in the wind, flickered on the verge of extinguishing.

The more time passed, the weaker that flame of hope became.

"Keep up! Don't fall behind! We will complete the mission together, and then we will leave alive!" Ban Yangming's eyes were bloodshot, and he roared hoarsely at his remaining comrades.

His tactical helmet had long since flown off, and a deep, bone-visible wound on his forehead constantly bled, obscuring his left eye.

His sole remaining right hand clutched the disgusting, mucus-covered bone knife he had hacked from an alien beast, mechanically slashing as his arm muscles trembled from extreme fatigue.

Li Xing's situation was slightly better, but several broken bone spikes were stuck in his bulletproof vest, and his breathing was heavy like a broken bellows.

Yet, he continued to use precise short bursts and clean, efficient combat techniques, desperately clearing sporadic obstacles ahead, trying to relieve even a sliver of pressure on He Jingrui in front of him.

He Jingrui charged at the very front.

He became the team's sharpest blade, and the one under the most pressure.

The Nameless Fist Technique blasted out again and again, generating rolling airwaves and howling fist winds.

Six-fold Overlay! Seven-fold Overlay!

Each time he pushed himself to the limit, he felt a wrenching pain in his internal organs.

Blood constantly oozed from his cracked tiger's mouth and the corners of his lips, dripping onto the scorched ground and instantly evaporating.

But he could not stop.

His comrades behind him placed their hope in him, and his fallen companions paved his way with their lives.

They were getting closer and closer to the hive, now clearly able to see the thick, snake-like blood vessels wriggling on its surface, as well as the constantly opening and closing sacs that spewed viscous liquid and newly hatched alien beasts.

The air was filled with a sickly sweet, nauseating stench.

However, the alien beasts' resistance also grew more frantic, reaching a point of recklessness.

It was as if the hive itself sensed the threat posed by these tiny creatures, urging more guardians to surge forward.

One hundred meters!

This distance, which usually passed in the blink of an eye during strenuous training, now felt agonizingly long.

"Cover!!!"

Li Xing suddenly roared, smashing his empty rifle at a lion-like alien beast that was pouncing on He Jingrui from the side, while simultaneously throwing himself forward, plunging a military dagger firmly into the alien beast's eye socket.

The alien beast roared in pain, sweeping its sharp claws.

Li Xing was violently flung away, a large section of his chest caved in, and blood gushed out.

"Li Xing!!"

Squad Leader Ban's eyes were bloodshot with rage.

"Go… go! Don't mind me! Complete the mission!!"

Li Xing lay on the ground, using his last bit of strength to shout, then was engulfed by the swarming alien beasts.

He Jingrui's teeth were almost shattered, and bloody tears mixed as they streamed from the corners of his eyes.

He did not look back, and he could not look back.

All the grief and pain transformed into even more ferocious power; his fists raged like a madman, forcefully blasting open a narrow path of flesh and blood through the surging tide of beasts!

Fifty meters!

Thirty meters!

The slightly wriggling, fleshy surface of the hive, emanating high temperatures and biological humidity, was almost within reach! He could even feel the faint airflow caused by its pulsations.

Just then—

Boom!

The ground in front and to their side suddenly exploded.

An alien beast, far larger than its kin, resembling a giant pangolin, suddenly burst out from underground.

Its thick, bone-spiked, mucus-covered tail, like a massive spiked club, swept horizontally towards He Jingrui.

If this strike landed, it would be enough to smash steel into scrap metal.

"Watch out!"

Squad Leader Ban erupted with his last burst of strength, violently pushing He Jingrui aside, and was himself brutally struck by the huge bone tail.

Crack!

A bone-chilling sound of bone breaking rang out.

Squad Leader Ban flew out like a broken kite, crashing heavily to the ground, rolling a few times before stopping, a pool of blood rapidly spreading beneath him.

He struggled to lift his head, looking in He Jingrui's direction, his lips moving as if to say something, but ultimately, he just dropped his head weakly, losing all sound.

"Squad Leader Ban!!!"

He Jingrui let out a beast-like wail and roar; the entire world in his eyes turned completely blood-red.

The final ten meters!

The hive was within reach!

But He Jingrui was completely surrounded.

Three layers deep, three layers outside, dense and varied alien beasts let out threatening growls, their greedy, violent gazes fixed on this last human, saliva constantly dripping from between their teeth.

He Jingrui stopped, his body trembling violently from extreme pain and rage, each breath carrying a heavy scent of blood.

He slowly turned his head to look back.

His gaze swept over the dense, twisting, writhing army of alien beasts.

He saw Hu Yifan at the entrance of the crack, who, to cover their breakthrough, had used his body to withstand the terrifying claw monster, his armor shattered, his fate unknown… He saw Hong Junliang of the "Pillar" Squad and his teammates, who, to buy them that crucial half-second, had resolutely led their remaining forces into the beast tide, detonating their last explosives with their lives… He saw the comrades who, during this desperate charge, had pushed him aside one by one, only to fall forever in a pool of blood… Finally, his gaze fixed on Ban Yangming's shattered body, thirty meters away.

His heart was first empty, then filled with a myriad of extreme emotions: grief, indignation, despair, pain, resentment, and grievance.

But the next moment, it transformed into a twisted laugh.

"Heh… Heh heh… Hahahahahahaha!!!"

He Jingrui began to laugh, his laughter growing louder and more maniacal, bloody tears washing away the grime, gunpowder, and mud from his face.