166: Chapter 166 The Seventh Shelter in Crisis

Zerg World, Seventh Shelter.

General Chen pulled a transparent sealed bag from his chest pocket.

Inside the bag lay a thumb-sized, oval-shaped insect egg.

The surface of the egg emitted a faint purple fluorescence, covered with dense patterns.

"Take a look at what this is."

General Chen placed the bag on the table.

Staff Officer Liu's smile froze.

He stared at the insect egg, his pupils contracting sharply.

"A messenger insect egg." Standing at the doorway holding a gun, Lin Wan said, "This thing has only one function — to transmit information to the Zerg."

"Found under your bed." General Chen's voice was very calm. "Hidden in a modified military canteen."

Staff Officer Liu did not speak.

His fingers tapped lightly on the tabletop, making a ticking sound.

"Last time the mecha team was completely wiped out, I became suspicious." General Chen sat down and lit a cigarette. "Only a few of us knew the specific route of that operation."

"Yet the Zerg ambushed us in advance along the only path."

"Dozens of mechs, not even a single one returned intact."

"So I had Lin Wan keep an eye on all of you."

General Chen flicked his ash. "Taking turns watching. Everyone's residence, movement trajectories, and communication records were all thoroughly checked."

"And right at your place, this was found. Go ahead, how are you going to explain this to me?"

Hearing General Chen's voice, Staff Officer Liu suddenly laughed.

"Explain?" He stood up, pressing his hands on the table. "Why should I explain?"

"Stupid humans."

His voice changed.

It became sharp, carrying certain hissing syllables.

"If it weren't for the Queen being curious about you, do you think you could have lived until now?"

General Chen narrowed his eyes.

Staff Officer Liu — or rather, Staff Officer Liu controlled by the Zerg — straightened his body.

"Everything about the Seventh Shelter has already been reported to the Queen through the messenger insect."

"Defensive layouts, weapon reserves, personnel allocations."

"Even including that guy named Su Mingyuan and the weapons and equipment he brought."

His fingers gestured in the air. "When the portal opens again, it will be your doom."

"My Zerg army will crush your pathetic shelter."

"And then —"

He looked toward the ceiling. "Through the portal, go conquer that country called Daxia."

Finished speaking, Staff Officer Liu's forehead suddenly split open.

A thumb-thick insect crawled out from the split.

The insect was dark purple all over, with a sharp spike on its head.

It catapulted forward, lunging straight at General Chen's face.

Bang!

The gunshot rang out.

The insect burst into a mass of green liquid in mid-air.

Lin Wan put down her gun.

The muzzle was still smoking.

That was a special weapon left behind by Su Mingyuan before he left, with quite good firepower.

Staff Officer Liu's body fell to the ground.

Blood was still seeping from the split on his forehead.

General Chen stood up and walked over to the corpse.

"Lin Wan, what should we do?"

Lin Wan put away her gun. "According to Staff Officer Liu's words, the insects already know all our defense deployments."

"The Seventh Shelter cannot be held."

General Chen looked at Staff Officer Liu's corpse and fell silent for a few seconds.

"Notify everyone to prepare for evacuation."

"Evacuate where?" Lin Wan stared at him.

This world had already been occupied by insects.

Other than betting that Su Mingyuan and the others would return and pick them up to take them to Daxia, what other method could there be?

Just as General Chen was about to speak, hasty footsteps came from outside the door.

A soldier rushed in, his face covered in sweat, panting out of breath.

"Gen- General Chen!"

"Speak!"

"Insects! There are insects all outside the shelter!"

General Chen's hand slammed heavily onto the table.

"What?"

Lin Wan had already rushed to the door. "Let's go!"

Several people quickly rushed out of the command room, heading straight for the outer observation post.

Figures were running everywhere in the corridor, and the sound of footsteps echoed in the narrow passage.

Some were shouting, some were screaming, their voices blending into a mess.

General Chen pushed open the door of the observation post and climbed the stairs.

Stepping on the iron stairs made a clanging sound.

He rushed to the highest platform, grabbed the railing, and looked outside.

Then his entire body froze.

Outside the shelter, it was densely packed with insects.

Crawling on the ground, flying in the air, big and small, in various shapes.

Some crawled on the ground like beetles, as large as a tank.

Some hovered in the air like dragonflies, the sound of their vibrating wings buzzing loudly.

And there were those slender insects whose bodies twisted into bizarre shapes, so numerous they were countless.

The entire shelter was surrounded watertight.

"Damn it." General Chen, who was always mature and steady, climbed up and couldn't help cursing when he saw the scene outside.

Zhao Tiezhu also followed him up; he was a veteran of the shelter with a scar on his arm bitten by an insect.

"Just how many are there?" His voice was trembling slightly.

"Over a hundred thousand." General Chen stared outside. "Maybe even more."

Over a dozen people stood on the observation post, all too frightened to speak.

Only the rustling sound of the Swarm moving could be heard.

"Why aren't they attacking?" someone asked.

Indeed.

So many insects were enough to tear the shelter to pieces.

Yet they just surrounded the place, motionless.

Occasionally, a few insects crawled forward a few steps, then retreated.

Just as if they were waiting for something.

"Waiting for orders," General Chen said. "The Zerg have a strict Rank system; without the Queen's orders, they won't move recklessly."

Zhao Tiezhu wiped the sweat from his face. "Who knows if what Su Mingyuan said is true, and whether he will actually come back."

General Chen turned his head to look at him. "I actually hope they won't come."

"Ah? Why!" Zhao Tiezhu was stunned.

"Every day later they arrive is another day we live." General Chen pointed at the Swarm outside. "The insects surrounding us are obviously waiting for the opening of that so-called cross-border portal."

"Once it opens, that must be when they launch their attack."

Lin Wan understood. "Once the portal opens, the Zerg will attack immediately. By then, not only us, but even Daxia will suffer."

"Right." General Chen nodded. "Staff Officer Liu said that the Zerg Queen is very interested in the world of Daxia. They will directly invade through the portal."

Zhao Tiezhu swallowed a mouthful of saliva. "Then what should we do?"

No one answered.

What to do?

The shelter cannot be held, and this world is already finished.

Run outside? Outside is full of insects.

Wait for the portal to open? That would be leading the Zerg into Daxia.

General Chen looked at the distant horizon.

There should have been cities, tall buildings, and bustling traffic there.

Now nothing was left.

Only Zerg nests remained, one after another, growing on the ground like pustules.

"Prepare for battle." He spoke, his voice very calm. "Notify everyone to distribute weapons and ammunition."

"Take out the batch of equipment left by Su Mingyuan as well."

"Living one more day counts as one."