156: Catching a turtle in a jar

Lu Yang effortlessly took care of the two large creatures the Snake-People left outside.

Lu Yang piloted his mech into the sky.

Two long blue flames shot from its tailfins, and it quickly ascended several hundred meters into the air.

Looking at the azure pearl that continuously exuded thick water vapor amidst the rolling dark clouds, Lu Yang grasped it with the mech's large hand, then enveloped it with his mental power.

In an instant, the pearl shimmered, disappearing from mid-air, and in Lu Yang's spiritual world, a gleaming, crystal-blue moon appeared.

“It was captured so easily?”

Lu Yang hadn't expected such an unexpected gain.

【Rainfall Pearl (Treasure)】

【Quality: Orange Tier 1】

【Type: Elemental】

【Effect: Can collect excess pure water vapor and store it in the pearl's internal space. When needed, it can instantly transform into a torrential downpour, submerging the land. Maximum storage capacity: 100 million cubic meters (Currently stored: 10,349 / 100,000,000).】

【Current Refinement Progress: 0%. (Upon complete refinement, it can significantly enhance the refiner's affinity for water elements, and its quality can gradually improve as it continuously gathers water vapor, eventually manifesting as the wondrous 'Moon in the Lake' scenery in the spiritual world.) (Can rapidly increase refinement progress and quality by devouring other Rainfall Pearls.)】

Putting away the Rainfall Pearl, Lu Yang descended.

Xiao Xin's real-time battle reports from the base continuously came through the bone-conduction headset in his left ear.

【Reporting, Train Captain, 93% of the enemies have entered the designated positions. Should we proceed with your deployment, the 'LeMay Barbecue' plan?】

Hearing this familiar term in his ear, Lu Yang smiled silently.

Before his transmigration, this special operation used by the Yīng Jiàng (USA) against the Xiǎo Rìzǐ (Japan) during World War II was a household name among young people in Huaxia (China) on Blue Star (Earth).

Using it against the attacking Snake-People now, while not a perfect fit, was nonetheless appropriate.

【Start!!】

【Command received. 'LeMay Barbecue' operation commencing immediately!!】

The Snake-Person Great Elder was currently circling the outer city of Sanmin Base, having already cursed the unseen enemy's maternal relatives thoroughly in his heart.

Damn it!!

What kind of good person builds an outer city like a maze?!

Initially, they were quite pleased as they infiltrated the outer city of Sanmin Base through the breach.

Every Snake-Person's morale was extremely high.

Especially the elites following closely behind the Snake-Person Great Elder.

With the wise and mighty Great Elder leading them, they felt victory was within reach.

Moreover, the Great Elder was powerful, one of the few Divine Clerics in the Chenmao Tribe, capable of conversing with the great Snake God and using miraculous rune treasures.

Even the battle-hardened Chief had to be respectful in front of the Great Elder.

When the Great Elder returned from the Sunken Sea Temple last year, he brought back a Beginner Rainfall Pearl, symbolizing the tribe's strength and status, which significantly elevated the Chenmao Tribe's standing.

Originally, in the Thousand Sails Sea region, the Chenmao Tribe's strength and status could only rank beyond two hundred.

But the Snake-Person Great Elder brought back a Beginner Rainfall Pearl, which meant the Chenmao Tribe had gained recognition from the Sunken Sea Temple.

According to previous custom, this was a privilege only afforded to tribes ranked in the top hundred.

Although cultivating Rainfall Pearls was hard work, requiring numerous sacrifices and constant searching for water-element treasures.

But many tribes eagerly wanted to do this kind of hard labor and didn't even get the chance.

It also greatly enhanced the Snake-Person Great Elder's prestige within the Chenmao Tribe.

Erm, actually, at that time, the Sunken Sea Temple gave every tribal representative who attended the Temple's celebration a Rainfall Pearl to take back and cultivate.

It's just that no one in the Chenmao Tribe knew about this detail.

And the Great Elder naturally wouldn't expose himself.

After entering the outer city of Sanmin Base, led by the Snake-Person Great Elder, the Snake-People filed in.

When they encountered the first three-way intersection, the Snake-Person Great Elder gave a command, and the Snake-People behind him automatically divided into three columns; he took the middle, and two subordinate Snake-Person nobles each led a team down the sides.

After walking a distance, seeing the second three-way intersection, he waved his large hand, and they split again.

The third intersection, split again!!

So after several intersections, the Snake-Person Great Elder found that there were only a mere hundred or so people left behind him.

How could this be?

Even if the invading aliens were weak, he wouldn't feel safe with only a hundred subordinates.

After all, he wasn't a brute like the Snake-Person Chief, but a noble Divine Cleric.

So, he started to go back, wanting to rendezvous with the other teams.

But as he walked, even though he clearly remembered returning the way he came, what was going on with three more intersections appearing before his eyes?

He felt something was amiss.

He ordered his subordinate Snake-Person warriors to try to knock down the obstructing walls, to find a simple and crude way through.

And then they discovered—

Crap, why are these broken walls so hard?!

The Snake-Person warriors' scimitars struck them, emitting metallic clangs, and even chipped a large piece off due to excessive force.

These were rare refined iron weapons they had bought at great cost from the Sunken Sea Temple.

After several rounds of probing, looking at the nearly scrapped scimitars in the hands of several subordinates, the Snake-Person Great Elder's face showed a pained expression.

Each one cost over a hundred spirit shells!

These were his elite subordinates, and he would definitely have to replenish them from his own treasury later.

No more probing, let's continue to find a way!

And no more dividing the troops.

Sometimes, the Snake-Person Great Elder could even hear movement behind the walls.

But he just couldn't contact his subordinates on the other side.

As he kept searching like this, the Snake-Person Great Elder himself no longer knew where he was.

His heart gradually began to grow restless and agitated.

Just then, many slippery liquids suddenly sprayed down from above.

The Snake-Person Great Elder had observed the ceiling before; although not narrow for Snake-People, it was only a little over two meters high.

Like the surrounding walls, it was as hard as iron and unbreakable.

But now, the ceiling walls inexplicably had small holes, and a continuous stream of slippery liquid rained down on the Snake-People, like a thin layer of chocolate sauce.

It also emitted an unpleasant, pungent odor.

At this point, the Snake-Person Great Elder finally panicked.

Although he didn't know what the enemy was spraying, it definitely wasn't good.

More importantly, they hadn't even seen the enemy's face yet.

And without thinking, Wani's side must also be the same.

This is a trap!!!

The Snake-Person Great Elder suddenly realized.

But it was too late.

Countless ten-centimeter-long flamethrower pipes extended from the walls in all directions, simultaneously spraying pale blue flames.

Upon contact with the special fuel on the Snake-People, it instantly ignited into raging infernos.

These special fuels were actually byproducts of the flesh and blood conversion pool.

A hard lump the size of a fingernail, when thrown into water, could turn a pool of over a hundred cubic meters of water into the special fuel that was just sprayed.

And it could burn for a long time, lasting at least half an hour once ignited, with temperatures reaching several thousand degrees Celsius.

This was also why Lu Yang formulated the 'LeMay Barbecue Plan'.

Cheap and effective!!

At this moment, used on the Snake-People, given their habit of living in shallow seas, how could they endure such high-temperature roasting?

One by one, they were roasted and scurried around in panic.

But it was useless.

Because it was like this everywhere.

The only ones who might be slightly better off were the Snake-Person Great Elder and the few Snake-Person nobles protected by him.

At this moment, a light blue water-element shield, resembling a turtle shell, appeared from the tip of the Great Elder's staff, enveloping the few of them.

Although it wavered somewhat under the scorching flames, it at least prevented direct harm from the fire.

Moreover, in this situation, the previously sealed environment revealed a gap, and the Snake-Person Great Elder actually found a path forward.

Although he didn't know where this path led, the air circulation indicated it led to the outside world; as long as he followed this path, he would eventually get out.

After a while, the Snake-Person Great Elder indeed emerged in a sorry state.

However, at this point, he was all alone.

His abilities were limited, and he ultimately couldn't protect his few loyal subordinates and escape with them.

Two of them were even his sons.

Thinking of how they would rather die themselves than drag him down, the resentment in the Snake-Person Great Elder's heart magnified infinitely.

Then, he saw a familiar figure run out from the opposite passage.

“Wani, you're alive too?”