169: Chapter 169: Only fifteen mechs were produced.

General Chen ran down from the position, holding his rifle, his face covered in sweat.

He walked up to Su Mingyuan and took a deep breath.

"Thanks. If you guys hadn't come, we wouldn't have held out."

Su Mingyuan nodded and didn't speak.

General Chen looked at him and was silent for a few seconds.

"Brother Su, I have a request."

"Speak."

"Let our people enter your world in advance," General Chen said. "We can't hold this place anymore. There are too many bugs."

Su Mingyuan shook his head: "No."

"Why?" General Chen's voice raised a bit, "You promised before."

"I promised, but not now," Su Mingyuan said. "Someone here was controlled by parasites. How do I know if anyone else was also controlled?"

"If we bring you back to the Main World, in case anyone is controlled, the bugs will follow us in."

General Chen opened his mouth and didn't speak.

He knew Su Mingyuan was right.

"Then... at least let the women and children go in," General Chen said. "They should be fine."

Su Mingyuan still shook his head.

"No."

"Why can't even they go?" General Chen grew anxious.

"Because the portal won't disappear this time," Su Mingyuan pointed to the portal in the distance, "As long as the portal is here, the bugs can rush in."

"So we must defend this place to the death and not let a single bug enter the portal."

"Otherwise, the Main World will be finished too by then."

General Chen was stunned. He hadn't thought of this point.

The portal wouldn't disappear like last time. That meant no matter what they did, the bugs could enter the Main World through the portal.

General Chen's shoulders slumped.

He turned around to look at the survivors behind him. Those people had also heard the conversation just now.

Some lowered their heads, some leaned against the wall, looking decadent.

"What should we do!" someone whispered.

"It's over, completely over," another person muttered.

Lin Wan stood aside, biting her lip without speaking.

Her hands tightly gripped her rifle, her knuckles turning white.

The atmosphere suddenly became oppressive.

Everyone understood that they had no way out anymore.

The bugs would attack wave after wave until they killed and ate everyone.

And the people of the Main World dared not let them cross over either, because the bugs would follow them in.

Both sides were a dead end.

Su Mingyuan looked at these people and was silent for a few seconds.

"Don't be so pessimistic," he said.

General Chen raised his head: "Not pessimistic? How can we not be pessimistic?"

"Our equipment is very powerful," Su Mingyuan said. "You saw it just now. The bugs simply can't withstand our firepower."

"I admit you guys are powerful," General Chen smiled bitterly, "but the bugs are even more numerous and powerful."

"What you eliminated just now was only a batch of ordinary cannon fodder bugs."

He pointed to the horizon in the distance: "The truly powerful ones are still to come."

"When those things come, your tanks and armored vehicles won't be able to stop them either."

Su Mingyuan looked at him: "What things?"

"Advanced Zerg," General Chen said. "There are acid-spitting ones, burrowing ones, and those giant ones."

"We encountered them once before, and over a dozen mechas were completely wiped out."

"Your tanks are just toys in front of them."

Su Mingyuan didn't speak.

He looked toward the horizon in the distance.

Dark shadows could be faintly seen moving there.

The number was much greater than before.

And the moving speed was even faster.

"They're coming," Lin Wan said suddenly.

Everyone turned their heads.

The dark shadows in the distance were becoming clearer and clearer.

Those weren't ordinary bugs.

Those bugs were larger in size and moved faster.

Some bugs had sharp spikes growing on their backs, and some bugs had forelimbs like sickles.

There were also those dripping with green liquid all over, which looked toxic at a glance.

"Prepare for battle," Su Mingyuan said.

He turned to look at the signalman: "Notify the Main World and let the Mecha Unit enter."

"Yes!"

"Mechas?"

A voice came from the side.

Su Mingyuan turned his head and saw a middle-aged man wearing greasy overalls walking out from behind the ruins.

It was Professor Li.

A mecha research expert of the Zerg World. Su Mingyuan had met him last time he came.

Professor Li was holding a wrench in his hand, repairing an old-style rifle.

He looked up at Su Mingyuan, his eyes wide open.

"You guys produced mechas?"

His voice carried disbelief.

"How is that possible? It's only been a week."

General Chen also turned his head.

He looked at Su Mingyuan, his brows furrowing.

"Can you build mechas in a week?"

Lin Wan, standing aside, also wore a look of suspicion.

"The production cycle of a mecha takes at least three months," she said. "Assembly alone takes two weeks, not to mention testing and debugging."

"No matter how powerful your world's technology is, it's impossible to build them in a week."

Professor Li put down the wrench in his hand and walked over.

"Mr. Su, I'm not questioning you," he said, "but this really defies common sense."

"A mecha has hundreds of thousands of parts, and every single part requires precision machining."

"Even if you have the most Advanced equipment, it still takes time."

"And after the mecha assembly is completed, it still needs at least a week of testing."

"Power System testing, Weapon System testing, Armor Strength testing..."

He counted on his fingers: "All these tests take time."

"A week is simply not enough."

Other survivors also gathered around.

Some whispered among themselves.

"Could they be lying to us?"

"How can mechas be so easy to build?"

"I think they just want to appease us and keep us from running around."

"Maybe there are no mechas at all."

General Chen listened to these discussions and looked at Su Mingyuan.

"Su Mingyuan," he said, "in a week, did you really build mechas?"

Su Mingyuan looked at these people.

Their eyes were full of suspicion.

Some people had even started to step back, preparing to leave this place and hide.

"How many mechas did you produce?" Professor Li asked, "One? Two?"

"If there are only one or two, I'm afraid they won't be of much use."

"Advanced Zerg are not ordinary bugs. One or two mechas simply can't stop them."

Lin Wan also spoke up: "And have the pilots on your side been trained?"

"Mecha piloting requires at least three months of training."

"Pilots without training—driving a mecha is no different from sending themselves to death."

Su Mingyuan looked at them.

"Only fifteen were produced," he said.

Professor Li was stunned.

"What did you say?"

"Fifteen mechas," Professor Li repeated, "in a week, you produced fifteen."

"That's right. Three of them have already been sent to other worlds, and the remaining twelve will enter here."

The surroundings fell quiet for a few seconds.

Then someone chuckled aloud.

"Fifteen?" That person shook his head, "Are you kidding?"

"Building fifteen mechas in a week—even writing a novel wouldn't dare make it up like this."

The others also began to discuss.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible."

"I think he's just bragging."

"They want to appease us and make us be their cannon fodder."