Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Chu Xiao wondered why Bai Luming sought Pei Suqi's help at this moment; after all, Tang Ruyan or Ji Xinghan would have been the more obvious and better choices for assistance.

But he didn't press the issue, immediately sending a communication request to Pei Suqi's mech.

A moment later, Pei Suqi's voice crackled through the comms, his ragged breathing betraying the fierce battle raging on his end: "Damn, why are you calling me now? If you have something to say, make it quick, I'm swamped... Ahhhh, these bugs are so disgusting, stay away from me, don't come any closer, ahhhh!"

His final words were a near-shriek, tinged with a hint of a whimper.

Bai Luming glanced at Pei Suqi's mech coordinates on the map, calmly taking over the communication without a trace of urgency: "Pei Shao, busy, are we?"

"Isn't that obvious! Aren't you busy too... Dammit, these cursed bugs again!" Pei Suqi exclaimed, suddenly alert. "Wait, why do you guys sound so relaxed? You're not slacking off in the rear, are you?"

Bai Luming replied, "No slacking here, we're busy too."

Pei Suqi scoffed, "Don't lie to me!"

"Seriously busy," Bai Luming said with a helpless glance behind him. "I've got about twenty of them on my tail, it's pretty gross."

"..." Pei Suqi fell silent for a few seconds. "Get lost!"

Bai Luming: "..."

Where had the basic human trust gone? It felt like he was even less trusted now.

But he hadn't been looking for Pei Suqi in the first place, so he cut straight to the chase, the topic shifting abruptly yet smoothly: "Too many winged insects are breaking through the front lines. We need to take some action. I've temporarily engaged a portion of them, but I can't hold out for long. Come give me a hand."

Bai Luming's calm tone made it sound like a casual phone chat. Listening to his words alone, one would never guess he was currently piloting a mech, deftly navigating the complex terrain of the shrubbery.

Behind the mech, an ever-growing swarm of flying insects pursued. One careless mistake, and their sharp wings could shred the mech's outer shell.

A brief silence followed on the other end of the communication, then Pei Suqi's voice, on the verge of a meltdown, practically erupted in curses: "Screw your help! If you need help, why not call command? I'm about to be overwhelmed myself, and you want me to help you? Are you crazy or am I? Are you deliberately trying to mess with me?! I've had enough, this is so disgusting..."

Bai Luming continued his maneuvers, completely unfazed by the ranting.

Moments later, Pei Suqi's tirade abruptly and strangely ceased.

Then, the communication channel was filled with the young master's piercing screams: "Ahhhhhhh—!"

Just a few seconds later, the screams cut off, and the other end of the communication fell into a deathly silence.

Chu Xiao, startled by the sudden turn of events, tentatively called out for a response: "Hello? What's going on? What happened? Hello? Pei Suqi? Are you still there?"

Bai Luming seemed to anticipate what had happened, but couldn't help a touch of curiosity, quipping, "Did you kill him?"

This abrupt, out-of-context question left Chu Xiao momentarily confused about who he was addressing: "Who... killed whom?"

A rustling sound came from the comms, and a moment later, a calm voice, distinctly not Pei Suqi's, replied, seemingly to both of them: "It's fine. He's knocked out."

The final syllable lifted slightly, as if amused by Bai Luming's irresponsible "killed" speculation.

Chu Xiao: "?"

It was the first time he'd heard someone say "knocked out" as casually as "went to sleep."

Chu Xiao: "Is he really... okay?"

"Yes."

"Knocked out, huh." When Bai Luming heard He Yilan's voice, his eyebrows subtly rose in understanding. His tone seemed almost disappointed that the outcome was merely "knocked out" rather than "killed."

As for how He Yilan had managed to knock Pei Suqi out, he didn't bother asking, quickly getting straight to the point: "There are too many insect eggs in Green Algae Lake, hatching all at once. The fortress team's defenses aren't holding up. It's too dangerous to let this continue. I plan to set up a secondary interception."

Bai Luming spoke concisely, trusting that with someone like He Yilan, many things didn't need explicit explanation; he would understand.

As he finished speaking, the red dot representing the mech's position on the map began to move.

He Yilan's calm voice came through the communicator. He didn't sound particularly eager to get involved, but he didn't refuse Bai Luming's request either: "Mm, how do you plan to intercept?"

Bai Luming was somewhat satisfied with this response and answered leisurely: "I'm using Blue Flame Bullets right now, but the damage from this basic mech is limited."

He Yilan pondered for a moment: "Understood. Lead them to this location."

As he spoke, a coordinate point sent by the other party appeared on the display screen.

Bai Luming glanced at the coordinates, a knowing smile playing on his lips: "Alright, I'll be there soon."

Their back-and-forth conversation flowed as naturally as an everyday chat.

Chu Xiao, in the co-pilot seat, listened to the entire exchange, his mind gradually filling with question marks.

Chu Xiao: "???"

Wait, what did he mean by "secondary interception"?

If the frontline forces aren't enough, are two mechs really sufficient? And after all that, it didn't seem like they'd discussed *how* to intercept—how did they already understand each other?

Had he missed something crucial???

Bai Luming seemed to suddenly remember Chu Xiao's presence and warned him: "Brace yourself, I'm accelerating."

Chu Xiao was still trying to recall if he had overlooked any important details. Hearing this, he instinctively looked up, his voice bursting from his throat: "Huh? Ah—!"

The moment he regained his senses, the renewed acceleration slammed him back into his seat, cutting short his cry before it could fully form.

At regular intervals, Bai Luming would skillfully use the Blue Flame Cannon to briefly ignite shrubs, attracting targets. The timing was impeccable—the flames would die out just as the winged insects approached, and then, just before they could disperse, another fire would ignite within a reasonable range, drawing them in again.

With this technique, the basic Type-D mech didn't even sustain noticeable damage. As they moved, Bai Luming meticulously gathered every winged insect they encountered, leaving none behind.

The farther they moved from the village, the closer they got to the main forces' front line, and the more winged insects converged.

Once they fully entered the polluted zone, the terrain grew even more complex.

This rainforest environment was ill-suited for mech movement, yet Bai Luming's maneuvers remained unaffected. In fact, the mech's speed increased.

The supposedly cumbersome basic Type-D mech glided effortlessly through the complex mountainous terrain. The dense forests of the polluted zone became Bai Luming's natural advantage, providing cover against the flying insects.

The sound of snapping trees echoed repeatedly, so close it felt dangerously near.

Throughout it all, Bai Luming's demeanor remained relaxed and natural.

It was as if he were playing a long-missed, thrilling game.

Now that he thought about it, it had indeed been a long time since he last performed such high-intensity mech operations.

It was a pity he was currently piloting only the most basic Type-D mech. If it were his own custom rig... Well, forget it—his beloved mech was definitely out of reach now. It was probably enshrined in the heavily guarded White Flame Legion stronghold.

Bai Luming mused, his thoughts not affecting his expert handling in the slightest.

Chu Xiao watched from the side, completely transfixed.

The maneuvers were executed with such precision and fluidity that it was impossible to tell the pilot had only just adapted to the mech's controls. The entire movement was seamless, as if man and machine were one.

Chu Xiao couldn't tear his eyes away, eager to fully appreciate the flawless, flowing operation, unwilling to miss a single moment.

Unfortunately, at such a rapid pace, the passenger seat transformed into a VIP rollercoaster ride. In just a short while, his stomach began churning uncontrollably.

Never before had Chu Xiao imagined he would one day suffer from motion sickness.

And from a mech, no less.

Bai Luming had effectively taken on every winged insect they encountered. The swarm now chasing them was large enough to crush the mech where it stood at any moment.

Yet, despite this, he still had the presence of mind to observe Chu Xiao’s pale complexion. He even produced a bag from somewhere, tossing it over considerately: "Hurry up and throw up. You probably won’t have time to vomit later."

Chu Xiao’s hands trembled slightly as he took the bag, not hesitating for a second: "Blurgh—!"

Bai Luming noticed the commotion in the passenger seat and couldn’t help but chuckle. After checking their position, he said, "I’m here."

This was directed at the person on the other end of the comms.

"Mm." From the sound over the comms, He Yilan’s side was just as hectic, though his voice remained as calm as ever. Even now, he didn’t forget to add, "Actually, blacking out would be more convenient."

"It’s fine." Bai Luming glanced at Chu Xiao’s pale face after vomiting and said casually, "He needs to get used to it anyway."

He Yilan responded with a light, noncommittal chuckle before moving right on: "I’m here too."

Hearing this, Bai Luming looked around and spotted a faint blue glimmer in the distance—He Yilan’s position.

He smiled slightly: "Then let’s begin."

Chu Xiao, having just caught his breath after vomiting, immediately felt the familiar force pushing him back into his seat again: "!!!"

Blue flames ignited briefly in the humid air before dying out, leaving behind a thick smell of burning in the sticky environment.

Just as the dense swarm was about to tear the mech apart, Bai Luming vanished directly into a patch of darkness.

This time, he didn’t hurry to relight the Blue Flame.

Plunged into darkness, the winged insects, without a light source, lost their instinctive target.

The clustered swarm began to scatter in confusion. But before they could fly off randomly, an intense blue flame flared up in the distance on the other side.

The insects that had just scattered grew excited again, flying toward the new light source from afar.

Almost simultaneously, shots rang out.

What greeted them was a wild, relentless firing.

The light source released by He Yilan gave the swarm a clear signal. Using their phototaxis, he artificially guided them along a precise path.

The dark vision didn't slow Bai Luming's control. The mech's speed didn't decrease but instead accelerated further.

The basic Model D mech moved smoothly, avoiding obstacle after obstacle. The particle cannon on its left arm had switched to fuel bullets, firing repeatedly the moment the swarm reached a safe distance.

With each explosion, burnt debris fell from the sky.

The position He Yilan had temporarily chosen was situated between the regular army’s front line and the village. The blue light released here perfectly attracted the majority of the swarm heading toward the village. In a short time, it drew group after group of winged insects rushing forward.

After Bai Luming’s barrage, seeing the remaining insects about to escape the firing range, he backed off immediately, not pushing his luck.

While keeping an eye on the swarm’s distance, he completed a second weapon change. During rapid movement, he used Blue Flame Bullets to set a whole line of bushes on fire.

Intense blue flames spread widely.

Almost at the same time, the flames from He Yilan’s direction went out.

The swarm, mid-flight, lost direction again. After buzzing and scattering for a moment in place, they began fluttering their wings, gathering toward Bai Luming’s location.

Bai Luming lit the fire and ran immediately, not lingering at the scene.

His current mech was too fragile; damaging it would mean he’d have to take responsibility, so he couldn’t afford to be too reckless.

Dense artillery sounds erupted again, this time from the other side—the direction of He Yilan’s mech.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Chu Xiao felt as though his internal organs were about to be jostled out throughout the entire process.

But witnessing such an incredibly bizarre scene before him, he temporarily forgot all about his physical discomfort.

Although he couldn’t see the specifics in the pitch darkness, the occasional flashes of fire allowed him to roughly discern the location of the other mech.

The entire process seemed like just two pilots repetitively, almost mechanically, performing their tasks. Yet, the continuous back-and-forth use of flames to lure the swarm was executed with such precision it resembled a mechanical demonstration following a set program.

Coupled with their impeccable marksmanship, even though they were only using the simplest basic Model D mechs, under these circumstances, they remarkably projected the aura of a professional team—and this with just two mechs.

These two had truly managed to successfully establish a second line of defense in front of the village.

Facing a swarm of insects… so this is how you can play around with them…

In his amazement, Chu Xiao felt as though a whole new world had opened up before him.

Meanwhile, at the front line.

The fierce battle continued.

The rolling surface of Green Algae Lake seemed to be boiling. Broken insect eggs had formed viscous layers of film on top, and the emerging swarm continuously emitted sharp, metallic scraping sounds with the flutter of their wings.

The hatching winged insects emerged incessantly, rushing forward one after another to collide against the curtain of flame.

Dense roars filled the night that should have been silent. The firepower was immensely powerful, yet it could only intercept half of the flying insects.

Xiao Nuoya once again deftly dealt with the vast insect tide. Observing the results of the rest of the team’s efforts, he confirmed with Liang Deng again: "What’s the word from the village? Are they sure there’s no problem?"

"Confirmed. According to the new signals from the rescue team at the spaceport, their people are almost there too. Once the villagers are successfully evacuated, we just need to wait for the B-23 unit to handle the aftermath." Liang Deng finished communicating with the guard team. "We can only say our luck this time is pretty good. Hearing from the guard team, the number of insects that reached the village doesn’t seem to be that large. At least so far, the defense has been going smoothly without much pressure."

Xiao Nuoya was taken aback: "Not that many?"

"Mm, that’s what they said." Liang Deng also looked somewhat puzzled. After thinking for a long time, he could only come up with one possibility. "Perhaps we got lucky, and the insects that got through just happened to fly in other directions."

As he said this, his tone finally carried a sense of relief.

Anyway, no matter what, after returning, at least he wouldn’t have to resign due to blame.