Chapter 78

Chapter 78

"Exactly! Why is there no reaction from the council and the royal family? Such a significant event and no public announcement?"

"What good is a council that fosters such incompetence?"

"I'm going insane, I'm moving to the central district right now, I'm scared to death."

No matter how fiercely they argued online, the council made no move.

The Fourth Legion had no time to pay attention to the opinions on the StarNet, sparing only a few minutes amidst their busyness to leave a message on their official site, "Do not panic," after which there was no further news.

……

The appearance of the Bug Race was too sudden.

No one saw it coming.

Upon receiving this news, Putian Xiangri was extremely relieved that Lin Fu had kept his wits about him upon hearing the movements of the swarm, choosing to stay with the Fourth Legion's front lines rather than assisting the Ninth Legion.

Otherwise, it's feared that within a day, everyone on S177 might have been wiped out.

A sky-filling, dense swarm.

They traversed through space, descending upon planets, covering all starlight in a vast, dark tide that shrouded the world in darkness.

Devoid of light.

The protective shields were smashed by the immense bodies of higher-level Bug Race members falling from the sky, causing blue energy sparks to scatter and burst out in the pitch darkness.

Everyone was left dazed by the swarm of bugs outside the protective shield.

Lin Fu burst through the door, looking up at the dense swarm of Bug Race with a sudden grimace.

Several squads tasked with exterminating the lower-class Bug Race were still outside!

He swiftly logged into his mech, issuing orders at the same time: "All personnel who have been in the inner city for more than two days, head out of the city immediately for extermination. Stay within a fifty-kilometer radius of the energy shield, do not cross the line!"

The base's alarm blared, flashing red lights.

The energy membrane rippled as mechs leaving the city collided with it, sending out waves of energy.

Soon, it was stained by the thick green blood.

All higher-class Bug Race creatures that landed started releasing psychic energy, attacking the energy membrane along with □□, attempting to break in and slaughter.

The innermost layer of the Bug Race was quickly cleared, leaving a brief vacuum that was soon filled by a new wave of bugs.

Lin Fu, with the comm-link active, was slaying bugs while speaking to Putian Xiangri: "Send me the detection data immediately!"

He then hung up to connect with Albert and two others leading teams outside.

He had no time and connected with all three simultaneously. The first to answer was Zong Si, whose shouting voice came through: "Damn it!! Help, help! Why are there so many!"

Lin Fu commanded in a deep voice: "Lead your team back immediately, report your coordinates to me, and send updates every ten minutes!"

Zong Si responded: "Okay, okay! Albert and the other two are in the same team, but there are two teams in the direction of the Thorn Forest in Seifei District, and we've lost contact with them!"

Lin Fu's actions grew increasingly ruthless, his pitch-black mech stained ink-green, drenched in the thick, stinky green blood, his killing intent chillingly cold: "I'll go find them, you hurry back first!"

The communication with Albert and the other was quickly established, and they reported their positions to Lin Fu.

He didn't hang up the comm-link, keeping an ear on the movements of all parties, projecting his psychic energy outward, enveloping himself and gradually spreading it to every mech on the battlefield.

In the instant the psychic energy spread, the crazed higher-class Bug Race experienced a moment of bewilderment. A second's pause, and they were pierced through by the mechs.

But this bewilderment didn't cease; the bugs seemed to have lost their target, moving their limbs, their psychic energy wildly sweeping, trying to locate their opponent.

The soldiers had no time to ponder why the bugs were behaving strangely, just as they currently had no time to wonder how these bugs had suddenly appeared here.

The only thing they now remembered was to raise their weapons and eradicate the enemy.

With the cheat device activated by Lin Fu for all members, they swiftly exterminated all Bug Race within a five-kilometer radius.

Lin Fu ensured that the energy shield was no longer under threat, and reiterated his command: "Do not exceed a distance of fifty kilometers! All personnel's engagement time should not surpass 24 hours; upon reaching the critical point, return to the city for rest! Only those who have stayed in the inner city for more than 10 hours may participate in the extermination missions again!"

He withdrew his psychic power, covering the members of the seventh team, and like a bullet, he shot through the dense swarm of bugs. The area behind him cleared of enemies was quickly overwhelmed by new Bug Race creatures, their corpses trampled underfoot.

Putian Xiangri quickly reconnected: "Major General, the swarm has been confirmed to originate from the Ninth and Sixth Legions. The combined forces of Bug Race left at the front lines by both factions amount to less than one-tenth of the entire swarm. Major General, please be prepared."

Lin Fu's heart sank further: "Understood."

He continued: "We're still unable to determine how the swarm suddenly shifted here. They have not yet reached Class A planets; the nearest Class A planet is still 9 light-years away. I will make arrangements as swiftly as possible; rest assured."

He paused, then added: "Please hold on, and remember, you are now the entire hope of the Fourth Legion."

As the forefront of the battlefront, S177 star would bear at least thirty percent of the Bug Race's onslaught, meaning that every warrior on this planet would face nearly ten times the pressure of those on Class A planets.

Lin Fu, as the commander of the Fourth Army and the pinnacle of combat power, would have to bear even more.

Everyone could take a brief respite in this arduous battle, except for Lin Fu.

Even his hesitation for a second could cost a life because of his delay.

Lin Fu said, "Understood."

He would do his utmost to protect everyone here.

……

The Thorn Forest in the Seifei District was several hundred kilometers away from the inner city.

A day ago, it would have taken less than a day to reach there in a mech.

Now, heading there and arriving within three days would be a cause for gratitude.

The two teams in the Seifei District and Albert's team needed to rely on their few teammates to survive in an environment completely surrounded by higher-class Bug Race, at least until Lin Fu found them.

On the first day, approaching dusk, Albert and Tang Qian, along with Zong Si's team, managed to meet up. Both sides had injured personnel, but they were only minor injuries that would heal on their own in a few days, given the constitution of sentinels.

Meanwhile, news came from the inner city that the Bug Swarm had been successfully exterminated up to ten kilometers from the inner city.

Yet, the two teams in the Seifei District still couldn't establish contact.

Lin Fu's brows were tightly knitted as his spirit form emerged outside the mech, roaring as it dashed out to tear apart the vile bugs.

Its power was growing ever stronger, and it had learned how to utilize psychic power from its master. As a psychic condensate, Bug Race creatures below level nine could hardly detect its presence, leaving them vulnerable to its onslaught like blind targets.

The squad's already terrifying speed increased further, drawing ever closer to the Seifei District.

Midway, Putian Xiangri contacted him again to inform that Cheng Jiu was personally leading the Ninth Legion's forces to reinforce the Fourth Army.

Lin Fu, somewhat numbed by the incessant bug slaying, responded mechanically: "Understood."

He blinked his dry eyes: "When can he arrive?"

Putian Xiangri: "The shortest route will take at least five days, and assembling the forces will require more time."

Lin Fu: "Noted."

Five days was enough for him to find the people and then return to the inner city.

Their speed was frighteningly fast, and the squad following Lin Fu for the rescue mission went from initial shock to numbness, feeling that they had still underestimated their Major General Lin.

On the second day, as dawn approached and the first light spilled over the horizon, outlining the vague contours of the surroundings, they met up with Albert's three-man squad and another team.

At first glance upon meeting, Lin Fu realized that the situation was not as optimistic as the trio had reported.

The greatest threat of the dense higher-class Bug Race was not their physical attacks, but their psychic assaults and stimuli.

Nearly everyone in the group was experiencing mental disturbances of varying degrees.

Albert's mental turbulence was so intense that even the psychic threads leaking out carried a violent aura.

Lin Fu had them move with him, expanding the range of his psychic power for mental soothing.

The black panther, tail swishing, circled the dull-haired golden lion twice, then suddenly roared loudly, its sharp fangs glinting coldly and a dangerous purring emanating from its throat.

Influenced by the violent emotions, the golden lion instinctively bared its teeth. After being stared down by the black panther, it reluctantly retracted its fangs, lowered its head, shook the mane on its head, and let out a soft whimper.

Albert, noticing his spirit form's aggrieved demeanor and observing the actions of the two spirit forms, glanced guiltily at Lin Fu.

Lin Fu didn't look at him.