Chapter 201: Insect Crisis

"They're here!" Zhao Jinghao stood atop the city wall, wielding a newly developed laser cannon. Right outside the gate, a 100-square-meter area had been equipped with a vacuum device, the only one of its kind at the Jiangnan base. He hoped they wouldn't need to use it.

A series of laser cannons fired simultaneously. Beams of light targeted the swarm of insects, incinerating them upon contact. However, the lasers couldn’t cover every area, allowing many insects to get through.

"Retreat twenty meters and fire again! Aim at the densest cluster of bugs and don't waste shots."

This tactic of retreating and firing reduced the insect numbers by half in three rounds. Yet, realizing the power of the laser cannons, the insects began to scatter, no longer moving in groups, reducing the effectiveness of the cannons.

"What do we do now? The area is too vast. Even if we've set up a deadly weapon at the gate, it's useless if they don't enter." Liao Jie was familiar with the power of the vacuum device. Marshal Shao Yuan and Zhou You had once used it to effortlessly defeat thousands of Zhu family soldiers at Yang City.

The insects were too scattered. What could they do now?

Just then, the sound of vehicles approached. Worried about any returning troops inadvertently entering the swarm, Zhao Jinghao urgently shouted through a megaphone, "Convoy, halt! Stay away from the city gate! ...Damn it! Are they deaf?"

A city defense team member shouted back, "General Zhao, it's our captain and his team." As the convoy drew closer, it became clear they were the city defense enforcement vehicles.

Zhao Jinghao continued shouting through the megaphone, "Captain Lin, the insects are here! Flank them and drive them towards the yellow circle ahead."

Receiving the message, Lin Zihua, seeing the chaotic insects ahead, quickly ordered his troops to open fire and herd them.

Zhou You observed the blue lights in the distance and soldiers lining the walls, then called Zhao Jinghao, asking, "What's your plan to deal with these insects?"

Zhao Jinghao quickly briefed him. Zhou You shook his head, "That secret weapon works on large mutated beasts, but it's a waste on these small insects. We don't even know their weakness. We only know getting too close leads to unprovoked attacks. But we don’t know what kind of attacks. Keep everyone at a distance."

The insect remains Zhou You had sent to the research institute had just been received, so there was unlikely to be a quick answer. They'd have to figure it out themselves.

"If we're too far, we can only rely on guns and cannons. Regular bullets won't work. If necessary, we can level the entire area in front of us. Our armory can handle it."

"No matter the cost, human lives are paramount. We can't let the insects breach the base." Ordinary citizens had no defense against these mutated insects.

Zhao Jinghao urgently continued to summon more weaponry. Cheng Ziang also arrived with senior military officers. Some felt it was an overreaction to use so many precious lasers and cannons against mere insects. After all, these weapons had cost them dearly.

An officer surnamed Kang dispatched his elite troops to assist. These troops, strong and armed with giant hammers, believed that no shell was tough enough to withstand their blows.

Zhou You admired their bravery but also saw their foolishness. "Weren't they warned not to get too close? What are they thinking?"

The military had its factions. Zhao Jinghao, having warned them once, decided to let them learn the hard way. Plus, he was curious about how these insects killed.

Soon, the first man fell, with no apparent cause. His colleagues were sure he hadn’t been bitten. They received instructions to evacuate the fallen back inside the city gates. Medical teams were already in position.

However, they didn't make it. In less than a minute, the entire team was down. Two soldiers had almost reached the city gate, carrying a colleague. For some unknown reason, they stumbled mere meters away but were still alive.

Observing this, Zhou You leaped from his vehicle and dashed forward. One hundred steel needles shot out, sticking to the road ahead. Gracefully stepping on them, he lifted one man over the city wall and collected the body lying on the ground.

Just as he prepared to leap onto the city wall, a sharp pain pierced his brain, followed by intense dizziness. It felt familiar, like a psychic attack.

"These insects can employ psychic attacks? It's terrifying. Imagine, thousands of them wielding this mental power. If they attack collectively, the impact would be staggering."

Zhou You quickly gathered his energy, projecting it outward to form a barrier. Only then did his dizziness fade. He climbed the city wall, grabbing the rope Liao Jie had thrown down to steady himself.

"Mr. Zhou, are you alright?" They had only seen Zhou You stumble momentarily, their hearts leaping into their throats. They feared if he fell, their Jiangnan base would be the first to be obliterated by the insects.

After taking a moment to recuperate, Zhou You opened his eyes and said, "I'm fine. These insects can launch psychic attacks. Don't let our soldiers get close. Fire the cannons."

"What? Psychic attacks? How can these bugs wield such power? Can they possibly be harnessing inner strength too?"

"I'm not sure. But this might explain why humans and animals are inexplicably drawn to them and suddenly fall. Their psychic influence has a wide range, but I'm not sure why they haven't used it. We must eliminate them soon."

Now, nobody opposed the large-scale deployment of heavy weapons. Rows of these weapons were pushed forward, and Lin Zihua's forces outside the city were instructed to retreat several kilometers to avoid friendly fire.

The inner city residents continued to evacuate underground. Someone perplexedly asked, "I heard it's just a swarm of insects. Why the huge fuss? What's the military doing? Always making us hide."

"Exactly, no matter how many insects there are, we can kill them easily. This is a great opportunity for us. Why hide? Moreover, bugs aren’t birds, hiding underground might not even be safe, right?"