Chapter 28#
Rescue#
The stone path was deep and dark as Ning Feng walked through the shadows.
Aside from the clamorous insect chatter in his mind, the only sound echoing through the corridor was the faint scraping of his mecha against the stone walls. The deeper he went, the more intense the pain in his body became. He knew this was a sign of the insect venom taking effect.
He needed to speed up.
Before long, he spotted another blue dot on his radar.
This meant another team member was ahead.
The man pressed his lips together, softening his footsteps as he approached.
Soon, a faint glow flickered at the end of the pitch-black stone path, pulsing with the rhythm of breathing. Ning Feng stood at a distance, staring at the empty rock corridor before and behind him, his brow deeply furrowed.
This time, the mecha wasn’t blocking the path, but the cockpit had still been forcibly torn open, and Xiao Si was hanging inside.
Yes, hanging.
It looked like something had stuck his back to the stone wall. Something was rapidly moving beneath his skin, and his flesh was covered in cysts with a sickly, pale green hue. His expression was pained, groaning intermittently, his hollow eyes fixed on the floor. The moment he spotted the Blade Mecha in the distance, a flicker of light crossed his numb gaze.
Then, Xiao Si pressed his lips together and shook his head vigorously, unable to speak, as if telling him not to come closer.
Ning Feng stopped, watching from afar.
Something was growing beneath Xiao Si’s feet, casting strange shadows that slowly spread outward. Xiao Si opened his mouth, and several small tentacles poked out from the corners of his lips, a sight that made one’s scalp crawl.
Tears streamed down his face as he mouthed a single word to the man.
[Help me.]
Ning Feng’s grip on his machine gun tightened. He stared at the nearly broken face, images of Xiao Si’s joyful smile when he talked about getting married flashing chaotically through his mind.
After a long moment, he slowly raised his gun.
Bang!!
Xiao Si threw his head back and screamed, a sound so desolate and hopeless it made one’s heart ache. He struggled for a while before collapsing to the ground, motionless. After the host died, the parasitic bodies writhed and struggled before quickly going still.
The incessant insect chatter in his ears vividly described how they had captured the human prisoners and infected them into “roadblocks,” fawningly praising the wisdom and successful predictions of the Nest Lord.
Ning Feng hung his head, teeth clenched, chest heaving violently. His blade-like eyes narrowed, a fierce murderous intent churning in their depths.
Suddenly, he let out a slow laugh, hatred staining his voice.
“A Lord, huh? Let me see what you’ve got!”
**
After rendezvousing with the ground forces, Yin Beichen returned to the stronghold under the escort of the marines.
Under wave after wave of insect attacks, the originally crude defensive fortifications were on the verge of collapse. Limbs and shattered remains were scattered everywhere. The bombed-out bunkers looked like smashed eggshells, destroyed weapons and broken bodies half-buried in the rubble. It was clear they wouldn’t hold much longer.
Yin Beichen’s brow tightened as he quickly reorganized the formation, directing the troops to hold off the insect assault while arranging for warship reinforcements. Once things were settled, he opened the channel to order Ning Feng to hold position, only to find that the squad channel had already disconnected.
His brow furrowed deeper as a wave of unease washed over him.
What was going on?
Why had the communication channel been cut off?
“Sir, the shuttle returning to the Norah is preparing to land.” At that moment, the stronghold commander’s voice cut in.
Suppressing his inner restlessness, Yin Beichen decided to return to the command ship first.
As for Ning Feng…
The Blade Mecha was still linked to the command ship’s systems; he could contact him later. If the situation became critical, he could adjust on the fly, and if all else failed, he could resort to using the photon cannon.
Yin Beichen withdrew his thoughts and closed the channel. “Alright, prepare to depart.”
**
When the blue dot on his radar flickered for the third time, Ning Feng saw two dots this time.
They belonged to Qiao Xi and Ou Jingshan’s mechas.
Feeling the insect venom stirring beneath his skin, he took a deep breath. His finger hovered over the thermal imaging button for a long time before he finally bit his tongue and pressed it.
But this time, he didn’t see any bloody scenes.
Blocking the path ahead was a scrapped combat mecha, and lying not far from it was Qiao Xi’s personal mech. A sturdy figure was sprawled on top of the wrecked mecha, a large bald head visible in the flickering red light.
It was Ou Jingshan.
Whether he was alive or dead was unclear.
Ning Feng carefully turned the man over. Aside from some superficial flesh wounds, there seemed to be nothing unusual. But having witnessed the gruesome deaths of the two before, he didn’t dare take any chances. He used a bit of skill to wake him up.
“Ugh…” Ou Jingshan opened his eyes, lifting his head weakly before groaning and clutching his arm in pain. After a moment, he gathered his senses and recognized the silver-white mecha. “Ning Feng? Is this—”
Ning Feng motioned for him to be quiet.
Ou Jingshan was only wearing his combat suit, offering no real protection. Although puzzled as to how Ou Jingshan had come out unscathed, there was no time to dwell on it. The man gestured behind him, signaling for him to board the research mecha.
The Blade Mecha’s cockpit couldn’t fit two grown men, and if something went wrong, they wouldn’t be able to outrun the multi-legged insects. The research mecha, however, had excellent defensive capabilities. Unlike the combat mecha, it hadn’t been forcibly breached, and its communication channels were still usable. But the engine was severely damaged, with only one power unit barely functional. Whether it could even make it out of the stone path was questionable, let alone provide any combat capability.
Though the research mecha was weak, Ou Jingshan still had his piloting skills. He could activate thermal imaging to monitor insect movements and, in a pinch, pick up a machine gun or grenade for cover fire. At best, he was a half-decent assistant.
The two crept through the stone path. Ning Feng briefed him on the fate of Xiao Si and Xiao Wu, briefly outlining his sampling plan.
Ou Jingshan was a veteran who had seen countless deaths, but learning of his soldiers’ fall still dampened his spirits. However, after hearing the man’s plan, he had no time for sighs.
“We’re going to ambush the Lord?” Ou Jingshan’s face screamed, “You’re insane.”
“Not ‘we,’ just me.” Ning Feng rubbed the back of his neck vigorously. “You just provide cover at the entrance.”
“This is suicide!” The cave entrance was over a kilometer from the Lord’s location. Aside from sniper rifles, no other gun could be accurate enough. To ensure a hit, he’d have to go deeper into the cave, where the alien insects were packed. Going in meant certain death.
“That’s for others. Look who you’re talking to.”
Ning Feng had already thought it through. He had a sonic emitter on him that could briefly disrupt the insects. If he seized the opportunity, it should work.
“Have you thought about an escape route?” Ou Jingshan’s face showed clear disapproval.
“That question is so unprofessional.” Ning Feng pointed to the engine behind him.
This external engine was a new custom piece from Big Beard, capable of short-range spatial jumps. The distance wasn’t far enough to jump out of the stone path entirely, but it was enough to escape. As for the research mecha…
He tossed two energy cells to Ou Jingshan. “Stay far away from me.”
Staring at the palm-sized blocks, Ou Jingshan’s mouth twitched.
One engine needed three energy cells to run for an hour, but his current mecha, aside from being tough, had no offensive capability. If the remaining engine got destroyed, it would be nothing but a punching bag. Not being a burden was truly the best help he could offer.
“Why not wait for reinforcements?”
“Didn’t you hear the broadcast earlier? Everything up top is chaotic. Beichen’s first priority will be securing the stronghold. Let’s just pray he doesn’t resort to the photon cannon, or we’ll be watching fireworks from here.”
“…Aren’t you afraid of dying?”
“Would being afraid stop it?” Ning Feng let out a soft laugh. The throbbing pain at the back of his neck was growing more intense, and his mouth tasted bitter, as if bile was rising. He took a breath, lowering his eyes to look at his palm. For a moment, something seemed to wriggle beneath his skin.
He murmured quietly, “Besides, I don’t have much time left.”
**
When Yin Beichen stepped back into the bridge, the captain snapped a crisp salute. Then, with a jolt, the Norah completed its spatial transition, the engines exiting preheating mode and entering combat readiness.
Rows of monitoring screens emitted lights of various colors, casting the entire command bridge in a bright glow. The crew was surrounded by displays, working methodically as they monitored data from each screen, reporting to Yin Beichen in real time.
“How’s the situation?” Yin Beichen rested his hands on the edge of the star map.
The captain reported, “Sir, our forces in sectors A, B, and D have suffered varying degrees of attack and require urgent reinforcement. At least twelve more sectors are under assault, but most of it is concentrated on the ground.”
“Any findings in space orbit?”
“None. No biological entities detected.”
None?
Yin Beichen frowned.
With a Nest Lord present, it was strange that the insects would cede air superiority, not even sending out a single swarm of flyers. Sensing something was off, he stared at the technician’s monitor, which displayed deep radar scans, some penetrating as far as the planet’s molten layer.
“What about Sector C?”
“No alien insect activity detected in Sector C, and no communications received, but we can track personnel coordinates.”
Sector C was where Ning Feng was. The insects were all hiding underground, so it wasn’t surprising the surface scans couldn’t detect them. But the lack of communication…
The main screen displayed a colorful ripple, the heat and light emitted from the insect nest planet’s surface. A few spots glowed with orange-red patches, particularly dazzling. Yin Beichen’s brow twitched slightly. “What about the special channel?”
“We’ve tried, but that area seems to have a special magnetic field interfering. We can’t pick up any signals.”
Watching the two slowly moving dots on the screen, Yin Beichen’s face showed no emotion. “All artillery batteries enter preheating mode.” After a brief pause, he added, “Increase scan width and continue listening.”
“Yes, sir.”
**
The two mechas moved in tandem through the darkness for a long time before once again lying in ambush at the cave entrance.
It was then that Ning Feng realized the stone ceiling was extremely high, making it hard to imagine how deep they had already gone. He guessed the ceiling was directly connected to the surface. If the soil layer wasn’t too thick, ordinary artillery could even punch straight through.
The massive eyeball lurked in the darkness, blinking as it glared at those who sought to enter.
And before it, Qiao Xi was half-wrapped up, his back riddled with arm-thick spikes. Even the slightest touch sent fresh blood streaming. He had no strength left to cry, only letting out weak gasps. Apart from looking somewhat frail, he seemed like he could hold on a bit longer.
Rather than feeling joy at seeing a living person, Ning Feng was filled with questions.
Why had these insects captured him? As a hostage?
How did they know someone would come back to rescue him?
And what about Ou Jingshan? The insects had never left anyone alive before. Why had they let the big bald man off unscathed? And left behind a mecha with zero combat capability…
For some reason, a chill suddenly ran down Ning Feng’s spine.
He furrowed his brow, trying to eavesdrop on the insect chatter, but all they talked about was the surface battle and how to lure Yin Beichen into firing. A strange thought crossed his mind, but it was quickly interrupted.
“Qiao Xi’s still alive?” Ou Jingshan squeezed in from the side, visibly surprised.
“For now.” The slight tremor of the mecha jolted Ning Feng out of his bizarre thoughts.
His body was burning now, as if he had a high fever, his muscles twitching uncontrollably. He wiped his face hard, deciding to deal with the most urgent matter first. “Give me the sample collector.”
“You’re really going in?” Ou Jingshan couldn’t help but frown.
“What, Captain Ou worried about me?” Letting out a light gasp, Ning Feng grinned unseriously as he adjusted his gun into automatic firing mode.
“Are we saving him?” Ou Jingshan asked again. It was clear he also sensed something was off, but using a corpse as bait to ambush reinforcements didn’t seem like something the alien insects would come up with.
“If it’s convenient.”
Ou Jingshan was silent for a moment before speaking gruffly, “I’ll say this now. You’re huge, and this piece of junk mecha of mine can’t drag you. Don’t you dare die in there.”
Ning Feng paused, then laughed and punched his shoulder. “Nag.”
With that, he switched the Blade Mecha’s stealth mode to its highest level, and the entire machine melted completely into the darkness.