"You might be right, but I've heard that some countries have begun cloning humans. Some of our elites are considering it too. Beyond cloning, there are robots. Due to the resurgence of ancient martial arts in our country, everyone started practicing. But some countries focused on technology, employing any means to survive the apocalypse."

Zhou You has been to two bases, both Jiangnan and Yang City. Technology hasn't faded, but geographic restrictions have limited its widespread adoption. Their ability to create satellites shows that many technologies are still advancing.

The desert has vast temperature fluctuations between day and night. It's bearable during the day, but freezing cold at night. The absence of snow, Shao Qi explains, is due to the lack of moisture in the desert air, making even rain a luxury.

Two days later, their team reached a spot a hundred kilometers from Wine City, a transition zone between desert and grassland. The land was bare with patches of resilient, wind-tousled grass and an increased number of creatures, many of which Zhou You hadn't seen in any database.

As the team climbed a gentle slope, a scene ahead prompted them to go on alert. Shao Qi shouted "Halt!", and several armored vehicles quickly surrounded their supply vehicles, facing outward.

Scattered on the distant ground were fragmented limbs and scorched craters from recent explosions, suggesting a recent battle.

Shao Qi commanded, "Yao Chen, take a team to investigate. The rest, stay alert." Given the visible remnants of Wine City's skyscrapers, encountering opposition here wasn't surprising. They were relatively late, so others wouldn't wait here.

Zhou You climbed atop a vehicle where Sang Li Wu was manning a machine gun. From several other vehicles, guards scanned the horizon. He licked his dry lips, hoping to spot passing teams. The surrounding silence indicated no human presence.

Closing his eyes to use his psychic sense, he realized the scattered limbs were not human. Shao Qi's speculations seemed accurate. Robots had joined the fray, but their allegiance was unknown.

Chapter 180: Locust Invasion

Yao Chen and his team proceeded cautiously, soon discovering the remnants weren't human. Picking up a severed arm, he felt cold metal, noticed wires in place of blood vessels, and silicon mimicking muscle. Surprisingly, its exterior resembled human skin, even with pores.

He promptly reported the findings to Shao Qi and ordered the collection of the scattered remains for expert analysis.

Upon their return, Shao Qi inspected the pieces, noting damage from sharp weapons or explosives. These robots were destroyed by humans, but why were there no human remains?

"This technology is impressive. They look realistic. Clothed, they could blend in with humans. Do you think they're intelligent?" Sang Li Wu observed a female-like robot, thinking sarcastically about robots dating.

"Intelligent robots were developed a decade ago. Their evolution isn't surprising. Their inclusion in battles suggests combat capabilities. We just don't know their strength."

Zhou You heard a strange noise, like countless mosquitoes buzzing. Looking around, he saw no insects, but the noise grew louder.

Even though he wasn't sure what it was, Zhou You immediately raised the alarm, "Stay alert! Something's approaching!"

Shao Qi sensed the disturbance. His first order was for everyone to get in the vehicles, shut the windows, and activate the vehicle's weaponry.

"What's happening?" Everyone boarded the vehicles without sighting the enemy. But with both leaders speaking out, it certainly wasn't good.

"They're coming," Shao Qi and Zhou You said in unison. Both their gazes fixed on the distant sky. Soon, everyone saw a dark, massive swarm approaching, obscuring the horizon; its numbers were beyond comprehension.

The mere thought of a swarm of ants on the ground could be overwhelming. What was flying above, in such numbers, seemed utterly inescapable.

"Can anyone get a clear view?" Even with binoculars, they couldn't identify the approaching birds due to their small size. Surely, it couldn't be a flock of sparrows? Mutated sparrows aren't particularly dangerous, even in large numbers.

But as the swarm drew nearer, its true identity was revealed — these weren't birds at all, but rather mutated locusts.

"Wait, it can't be locusts. Look at their glowing eyes and the uniform frequency of their wingbeats," Zhou You whispered, feeling something was off. Setting aside the unlikely season for such a large locust swarm, these creatures felt different.

"They're not alive!" exclaimed Shao Qi as he lowered his binoculars. Everyone was stunned. If these weren't living creatures, who had made them? And in such vast numbers? The devastation of locusts is known; could they find safety inside their vehicles against this?

As they came even closer, Zhou You could discern each part of these creatures: two protruding eyes shining bright, emitting light not far, resembling LEDs.

Their antennae were long and slender. Now convinced they were electronic, Zhou You thought they looked more like antennae than biological structures. Their bodies were a shiny green, and their legs were as fine as needles. Their wings, transparent and moving too fast to see clearly, gave off an eerie vibe.

"Let's fire an incendiary round and see," proposed one. As the locust swarm was about 500 meters away, several incendiary rounds were fired, exploding at specific points and creating a wall of fire before the convoy.