Chapter 27#

Trap#

The next moment, the alien bugs in the giant cave erupted into chaos, screeching and hissing as they lunged viciously at the group.

The others reacted swiftly. One of them threw down a temporary pulse barrier to block the entrance, while the rest immediately formed a formation, firing with full tacit agreement to suppress the enemy and rapidly retreating.

But unlike the pursuit the day before, the bugs this time were clearly prepared—higher in rank and well-coordinated. In no time, the pulse barrier was shattered, and the swarm surged forward.

“Calling for backup!” Ou Jingshan shouted hoarsely, ducking as a hydralisk’s massive scythe swung overhead. “To any personnel nearby, this is Ou Jingshan! We’re surrounded! We need support, now!”

Yet aside from the crackling static, they received no response.

What was going on?

Ou Jingshan continued shouting into the comms while fending off the bugs. Finally, a sound came through from the other end—a deafening explosion, followed by urgent voices.

[Captain Ou! This is Squad Four! We’re under attack!]

[Squad Two is under bug assault! We need fire support!]

[Squad Six—bugs, bugs! Ahhh!!]

…

“What?!” Ou Jingshan was stunned.

He knew that aside from the reconnaissance squad, all the other Marine Corps members were scattered across the surface, lying in ambush. How could they all be attacked simultaneously? And with such precise coordinates!

The distress signals looped endlessly. Ning Feng listened carefully three times before switching to other channels.

Finally, he heard news about the stronghold.

[This is the rally point defenders. A call from the stronghold! A large number of bugs are attacking our rally point! Please respond and provide immediate support! Repeat, emergency call. This is the rally point defenders…]

Several calls came in demanding confirmation of the situation, followed by countless responses flooding the network. The bug assault, the battle conditions of the stronghold and the Marine Corps—all descriptions tangled into a chaotic mess.

The realization that even the stronghold was surrounded darkened their expressions.

Ning Feng’s face tightened, then he let out a light laugh. “Brothers, looks like we’re on our own.”

Yin Beichen swapped his magazine and gave the order: “Everyone, form up on me. Prepare to engage!”

They were an elite squad after all. Gritting their teeth, they pressed forward. The beginning went smoothly enough, but the farther they pushed outward, the harder it became. Before long, their formation was broken.

The first to be taken was Xiao Wu. He only had time to toss a grenade before countless low-tier bugs swarmed him. Next was Xiao Si, whose flamethrower was kicked into a corner. Finally, Ou Jingshan, who tried to pull Xiao Si back, was quickly buried under the bugs.

Damn it!

Ning Feng chewed his gum fiercely, charging forward without looking back.

He and Yin Beichen advanced one behind the other, covering each other back-to-back. Despite their full sprint, the exit was still too far away. Just as they reached a fork in the tunnel, a scraping sound that grated their eardrums came from deep within the stone passage.

The bug pursuers had arrived.

They were caught in a pincer attack!

Ning Feng stopped, pressing his fingertips hard together. His face seemed to frost over, brows tightly knit.

Charging forward meant death. Staying meant death too.

If they stuck together, the swarm would take them both out in one go.

What to do?

Yin Beichen’s blue eyes glinted coldly as he efficiently swapped magazines. “Ning Feng, any side passages nearby?”

Ning Feng’s fingers flew across the holographic map. His eyes lit up. “There’s a fork up ahead.”

“Can it connect to other fissures?”

“There’s a branch further in that might lead through.”

“Have the reinforcements rally there.”

“Got it.” Ning Feng quickly sent the new coordinates for backup. “Little Chenchen, you head that way.”

Glimmer stopped abruptly and turned to look at him.

“What about you?”

“I’ll lead them away—”

“No.” Yin Beichen’s voice was ice-cold as he cut him off. “I need your covering fire.”

“Listen to me—”

“No.”

“Yin Beichen!”

Ning Feng roared, his voice unusually stern. “You’re a Major General, the commander of the Sixth Military District. These bugs want your life! You can’t die!”

He took a breath, then added more softly, “I’m just your adjutant.”

Yin Beichen said nothing, only stared at him through the small screen.

“Don’t worry, I’m not stupid. I’m not going to fight them head-on. I can handle myself.” Ning Feng forced a grin. “If you feel bad about it, then go back, prepare the dowry, pick an auspicious day, and marry me.”

“Save that talk for someone else. I’m not interested.” The tone was still ice-cold, but his hands never stopped. Glimmer shoved all his self-defense gear—sonic grenades, spider mines, everything—onto Blade.

“Hey, hey, you’re giving me too much; I can’t carry all this—”

“Shut up!”

Yin Beichen’s voice was low and urgent, carrying an emotion Ning Feng couldn’t quite read. “Find a place to hide, wait for backup, and don’t be reckless.”

Finally, he stood still for a moment, then turned and ran toward the depths of the fork without looking back.

“Roger that, sir.” Ning Feng’s voice remained bright, but there was a bitter smile on his lips. He turned to face the shadows closing in, licked the corner of his mouth, and said, “Come on, little bugs. Let’s play.”

He tossed a flash grenade as a greeting. While the bugs were stunned, the man activated stealth mode and bolted straight back the way they came.

Earlier during the escape, he had noticed a crack in the tunnel that could barely fit a mech. Ning Feng dodged the pursuers, reached the crack, shut down most of his engines, kept only the basic life support and stealth systems online, and wedged himself there without moving.

Watching massive alien bugs scurry past less than five meters away, Ning Feng’s tense heart eased slightly.

If he could just stay hidden until the swarm retreated, he could wait for Yin Beichen’s reinforcements and find a chance to go back for samples.

Yes, Ning Feng had never given up on collecting samples.

During the fight just now, he’d felt the bug venom beginning to act up again. He’d only gotten the antidote shot the night before, and now, less than a day later, it was flaring up again. If he couldn’t get the sample this time, even if he escaped, it would only be to find a new grave.

This time, he had to get the Brood Lord’s sample.

Maybe the bugs thought they’d already escaped. The chattering bug language echoed in his mind again, mostly complaints.

[No matter, he can only go back to the sky.]

[He’ll definitely fire the cannon.]

[As long as he fires, we… hehe.]

[Explosion, explosion! Explosion!!]

[Shh, quiet!]

…

Ning Feng froze.

Fire the cannon = explosion?

What did that mean?

Suddenly, he remembered Qu Yan mentioning a flying bug called the Scourge. It specialized in spreading larvae in the air. Those larvae were tiny, carried by the wind, and would attach to targets. If a single larva exploded, it would release a burst of gas, causing little damage. But if it encountered super-energy sources like photon cannons, it would trigger a massive explosion.

Suddenly, it hit him.

They wanted to blow up the cruiser!

Ning Feng immediately opened his comm to contact Yin Beichen, telling him not to use the photon cannon. But for some reason, the channel only returned faint static. He checked his screen—it was blank. The navigation display flashed “LOS,” meaning he’d lost contact with the command ship’s navigation reconnaissance system.

“Fuck!” Ning Feng slammed his fist into his seat, elbows on his knees, fingers gripping his short hair.

He closed his eyes, letting his breathing steady.

There was no way he could catch up to Yin Beichen now. He had to find a way to stop the explosion.

Even though the comms were down and the private channel was dead, the command ship should still be able to identify their coordinates. Nora’s photon cannon was ferocious enough to pierce through the earth. Yin Beichen wouldn’t use it until he was sure they weren’t still underground. And the gas larvae, without orders, would remain dormant. The only one who could order them to self-destruct was the Brood Lord.

If he could kill the Lord, he could stop them from destroying the Nora. At the same time, he could get the sample for Qu Yan to develop the antidote.

Thinking about it, it was a win-win—

If he survived.

Ning Feng sighed, ran a hand through his hair, and gave a bitter smile.

“Beichen, I don’t think I can wait for your backup.”

Carefully checking left and right to make sure it was clear, he slipped out of the crack, powered up, and moved swiftly and silently through the stone tunnels.

To stay hidden, Ning Feng kept running without any lights. Ahead was nothing but darkness.

He followed the navigation records and ran back the way he came. Halfway, a blue dot suddenly appeared on his radar—a teammate’s dot.

Someone was still alive?

Ning Feng’s heart pounded, and he quickened his pace.

Before long, he reached the dot’s location. But it was pitch black ahead. He could only make out a large lump blocking the way, impossible to see clearly.

Ning Feng switched to thermal imaging. Then he froze.

It was a combat mech. The cockpit looked like something had pried it open from the front. Weapons were scattered all over. And the pilot, Xiao Wu, sat motionless in the cockpit, eyes wide with fear, seemingly unharmed.

“Xiao Wu?” The weird state of the man made Ning Feng pause his rescue attempt. He wanted to ask what had happened, but they had no open comm channel, and he couldn’t speak aloud unless he wanted to attract bugs.

But Xiao Wu seemed to notice him. His eyes rolled toward Ning Feng, showing not a trace of joy—only endless terror. He trembled as he forced out words.

“…”

Xiao Wu’s voice was so faint it was nearly inaudible. Ning Feng had to crank the volume to max to catch the numbers.

“Run… run now…”

“Trap, it’s a trap!!”

Before Ning Feng could ask for details, Xiao Wu’s skin began to writhe. His body seemed to boil; his face and stomach swelled and smoked.

Ning Feng’s eyes narrowed, and he instantly retreated several steps.

Boom!

A sharp explosion. Xiao Wu’s body fragmented into pieces, like a biological bomb filled with toxic gas and chemicals.

At the moment of the blast, the scar on Ning Feng’s nape tingled with a searing pain. A familiar cold spread through his body. He grunted, struggling to control his rapid breathing.

Before him was a haze of blue-purple blood. The shattered mech was blown apart, covered with unidentified chunks that hissed as they corroded the metal.

His fists clenched at his sides, knuckles white. Ning Feng took a deep breath, pulling himself together. Carefully, he stepped over the wreckage. As he passed, he glanced back and said in a low, heavy voice.

“Rest in peace, brother.”