47: The mystery of life-or-death evacuation and hatching

The Phase Beam, carrying the scent of destruction, instantly swallowed the position where "Chameleon" had just been! The reddish-brown rock wall was melted into a massive crater, and the high temperature scorched the surrounding sand and stones into glass!

At the critical moment, "Chameleon" relied on his top-tier reaction speed to perform an extreme evasion, lunging toward the side and rear! The Phase Beam grazed past his camouflage suit, the searing heat making his back burn!

"Chameleon!" "Ghost's" urgent shout came through the communication channel.

"I'm fine! I almost turned into roasted meat!" "Chameleon" rolled behind a giant rock, heart still pounding with lingering fear. His optical camouflage failed under the intense movement, leaving his figure completely exposed.

"Evacuate immediately!" "Ghost" maintained the stability of the Chrono Beacon while raising his Chrono Emitter toward the Interference Zone, alert for any enemies that might rush out.

"Chameleon" didn't dare delay, sprinting toward "Ghost" with all his might. Within the Interference Zone, a cacophony of piercing alarms rang out as several "Phase Walker" vehicles and a few "Reaper" minions rapidly charged out from the edge of the interference field to flank them!

"The enemy is catching up! There are a lot of them!" "Chameleon" shouted as he ran.

"I'll hold them off! Get over here!" "Ghost" calmly aimed at the leading "Phase Walker" and pulled the trigger!

An eerie blue light enveloped the vehicle, and its speed instantly became extremely slow, as if it had fallen into a temporal quagmire!

"Nice!" "Chameleon" took the opportunity to close the distance.

But more Scrin units poured out! A dense barrage of phase projectiles rained down on their hiding spot like a downpour!

"The Chrono Beacon needs ten more seconds to stabilize!" "Ghost" reported, while continuously using temporal rays to delay the enemy's pursuit. However, his temporal attacks had a cooldown and could not completely stop the tide-like enemy.

A phase shell hit the rock beside "Ghost," the blast wave making him stumble! Another "Reaper" took the chance to lunge forward, its sharp appendages stabbing straight at him!

"Watch out!" Seeing this, "Chameleon" fiercely threw a smoke grenade and an EMP grenade!

Smoke instantly filled the air, obscuring their vision. The EMP caused the nearby Scrin units to stall!

This bought "Ghost" precious time! He steadied himself and once again froze the lunging "Reaper"!

"The beacon is stable! Fast!"

"Chameleon" dove into the blue halo of the Chrono Beacon! "Ghost" also immediately retreated and stepped inside!

At the very moment their figures were completely enveloped by the blue light, several Phase Beams and "Reaper" claws slammed into the spot where they had just been standing!

Hum—

The blue light dissipated, and the two successfully vanished from the surface of Mars, safely returning to the "seagull one" teleportation platform the next moment.

"Shadow Team has returned! Medical team!" Sun Zheng immediately ordered.

Though they looked disheveled, both had only sustained minor injuries. After the relief of surviving the ordeal came the excitement of bringing back vital intelligence.

"Commander, we saw it!" "Chameleon" reported immediately, without stopping to rest. "The interior of the Interference Zone is a massive Scrin nest. There's an Energy Vortex at the center, and beneath the vortex is a deep pit filled with pulsating giant purple eggs! Or some kind of energy constructs! They are hatching something!"

"Hatching?" Sun Zheng's pupils constricted. The Scrin establishing a base on Mars wasn't just for occupation, but for reproduction? Or manufacturing a new weapon of war?

"Can you tell what is being hatched?"

"We can't be sure, but the energy reaction is extremely intense, and..." "Ghost" added, his temporal sensitivity making him more attuned to energy. "The energy fluctuations emitted by those 'eggs' are similar to the Scrin units we encountered on the Moon, but more pure and violent. It feels like they are gestating more powerful individuals."

More powerful Scrin units? Sun Zheng's heart sank. If the Scrin succeeded in hatching these things, let alone Mars, the entire Solar System could face total annihilation!

Although "Project Shadow" carried immense risk, the value of the intelligence brought back was immeasurable! It revealed the Scrin's true purpose on Mars and pointed the way for humanity's next move—they had to stop the Scrin's hatching process!

"Analyze the reconnaissance data immediately, especially the details on the Energy Vortex and the incubation pit!" Sun Zheng ordered. "At the same time, order 'Crimson Bulwark' to enter maximum combat readiness! The Scrin are likely to launch an early attack because of this reconnaissance!"