The mechanical insect simulates a nocturnal insect that hides during the day and comes out at night to move towards light and heat. Its carapace is extremely hard, and the key part is the black strip-shaped area on its abdomen.
The attack method of this nocturnal insect is very simple. It usually hits the target hard first, and when the prey is dizzy and unstable, it will use its sharp long chest horns to pierce the prey completely.
"Although the attack method is single, the force it carries is very strong, so the damage it causes is definitely not low."
An observer said: "I have read the information. This kind of nocturnal insect is responsible for building nests in the Zerg. Once they form a swarm, they can change the topography of an area overnight, knocking down an entire forest, or flattening mountainous areas and hills."
Active duty troops have the right to access this Zerg data, so it is not a secret.
The person next to him nodded and added in a low voice: "Although it is unlikely... But if there is an Zerg invasion, this kind of Zerg swarm is the most likely to lead the charge."
Decades ago, he had encountered this situation in this galaxy.
At that time, detection technology was not as advanced as it is now. Night crawlers evolved a shell that could block ordinary radar detection. Hundreds of night crawlers served as the vanguard of the insect tide and flattened an entire Class II city overnight.
Countless people were even still asleep and were buried under the devastated ruins before they had time to react.
The Zerg that evolved through radiation in the universe possessed all kinds of strange and terrifying abilities, and their combat power was also incredibly strong.
It was also from that time that ordinary weapons could no longer meet the needs of fighting the Zerg, and a combat system with mecha as the core came into being.
"If it's a small-scale swarm, it won't be a problem with our numbers and combat power."
The mecha operator nearby said: "The scale of the mechanical insect swarm we encountered before was not very large, only a few dozen."
"The ones we encountered were bigger, there should be hundreds of them." An observer said, "There was also a particularly large one with three chest horns, it should be the insect king."
Someone nearby replied, "We also encountered a bug king, but it only had two chest horns and bright spots on its back."
"I didn't encounter any insect kings, but I did encounter some particularly large ones, about ten of them. They should be simulations of giant mutant individuals."
"I also encountered it over there..."
Everyone was still exchanging information, but Yue Yue couldn't help frowning. They looked at each other for a long time and gradually fell silent.
… They did not come to the same assessment area, but were found one by one by Shi Ji and brought together.
Therefore, the swarm of insects he saw were undoubtedly not the same group.
This exercise was divided into more than twenty assessment areas, and each area had dozens or hundreds of swarms of insects. It didn't seem like a lot, but when added together, the number was enough to make one's back shiver.
Not to mention, there are also insect kings and mutant species with doubled combat power.
"Based on the number of sightings."
The captain of the Alliance Military Region who had tried to persuade the others was called Wu Ming. He simply made a note of the number and counted on the ground: "The most conservative estimate is that there are thousands of mechanical insects in this war zone."
Wu Ming threw down the stick and smoothed the numbers on the sand: "... and there are thousands of mechanical bugs looking for their companions."
Everyone knew what this meant, and no one said anything. Everyone felt an uncontrollable sinking of emotion in their hearts.
Different types of Zerg may have different characteristics and abilities, but once a Zerg tide forms, at least one thing is absolutely certain.
It will continue to converge.
This tendency to gather in groups stems from their racial instinct and will not be interrupted by any external interference.
"I made a mistake."
An observer whispered, "Last night... it wasn't its target at all."
Those Zergs were searching in coordination with each other, and in the face of a unified Zerg tide, they had no time to focus on attacking their prey.
What he thought was an encounter was, at best, an unexpected collision, and the trainees happened to be blocked in the Zerg's migration path.
When the mechanical bugs gather together, they become a real insect tide... If a lone person or a small team is encountered by it, the consequences can be imagined.
The mecha operator who had just been knocked down by Shi Ji turned pale. The strong fear made his back cold. He swallowed hard and could not utter a word of complaint.
Wu Ming raised his head and happened to see Shi Ji coming over: "What should I do? I'm afraid my own strength alone is not enough to defend against its attack..."
Shi Ji nodded: "It's not enough."
Shi Ji had just made a topographic map of the entire battle zone, and turned on the Dolphin's virtual image projection, indicating the red dots marked on it: "There are more than two thousand mechanical insects in the entire area, and there are two insect kings, one of which has already grown to the third level."
Wu Ming was a little surprised. He almost thought that Shi Ji had just quietly come over to eavesdrop: "How did you know?"
"I took a look on the road." Shi Ji asked, "Is it convenient to call everyone over?"
Wu Ming: “…”
He decided to modify this sentence slightly, changing it to "Trainee No. 7 spent a whole day conducting a comprehensive, detailed, and carpet-style reconnaissance of the entire war zone."
After finding out the size of the Zerg, a chill remained in everyone's heart. Upon hearing that they needed to make defensive arrangements, many people quickly gathered around the Dolphin.
Shi Ji did not go there immediately.
He walked around the crowd and handed over the medicine he had stored to the special forces team member who had been attacked.
The faces of the special forces members were all smeared with combat paint. Only if you look closely can you find that the special forces member who was attacked was also very young, and seemed to have just graduated from a military academy.
He squatted on the side of the road, holding his gun, and said in a low voice: "No need."
Shi Ji sat down next to him.
The others gathered around the holographic map to discuss. Shi Ji did not go over immediately. He thought for a moment and said, "It was my first time playing as the Blues. After I eliminated others, I felt very sad."
The special forces soldier frowned.
He raised his head and looked at Shi Ji in disbelief: "How old are you? You have participated in an exercise and served as a blue soldier?"
Shi Ji said: "The captain took me there."
"Captain, the purpose of the exercise is not to achieve merit or to obtain results. It is to allow you to adapt to the real battlefield under the virtual casualties."
"Captain, if you are soft-hearted and don't do what the Blue Army should do, the battlefield will do it in a more cruel way."
Shi Ji looked at him seriously: "Casualties on the battlefield are not virtual."
The young special forces soldier couldn't help but ask, "Is this also said by your captain?" when he heard him call him "Captain" all the time.
"I made up this sentence myself." Shi Ji said, "Captain, please make it... more colloquial."
Zhuang Yu was hitting S7's head at the time, and he told his soft-hearted subordinates to remember, "If you don't knock him down to the ground, the Zerg will knock him down to the ground. If you don't scrap his mecha, the Zerg will take off his mecha's head and kick it like a ball."
The young special forces soldier looked up and studied him for a long time, and only when he saw that Shi Ji's expression was serious and did not seem fake did his expression brighten a little.
"We need the help of the special forces."
Shi Ji asked: "Are you coming?"
The young special forces soldier nodded, waved to his comrades behind him, and took the initiative to move towards the crowd next to the mecha.
When he was beside Shi Ji, he stopped and stretched out his hand to Shi Ji.
Shi Ji was stunned for a moment, then realized that the other party was not trying to arm wrestle, so he tried to stretch out his hand and shake hands with him.
"My name is Sui Qi." The special forces member said, "I'm 19 years old and just joined the special forces last month."
"I thought I could set a record... but the team leader said that there was a senior observer in the past who joined the team at the age of 17. He was able to beat an entire group based on his strength, but he was just used as a windmill for fun."
Sui Qi: "I didn't believe it at first, but after seeing you, I started to believe it a little bit."
It was the first time that Shi Ji heard someone praising him like that. He opened his eyes a little wide, felt a little embarrassed, and his ears turned red.
Sui Qi tidied up his training uniform and without saying anything else, he and his teammates went to the side of the holographic projection map.
…
Sea of consciousness.
Zhan Chen put down the freshly baked cookies. He looked at Shi Ji who was making combat deployments, and was reminded of something: "Captain Zhuang sent a message before, asking how to write Shi Ji's military status."
Yu Tang looked up from his fight with the squid: "Can't you just write it?"
"In principle, yes." Zhan Chen said, "He wants to ask your opinion on the age column."
Yu Tang understood Zhuang Yu's meaning and nodded: "Just write nineteen years old."
He exported Shi Ji's physical data and put it into the printer beside him: "The time that was stagnant in Shi Ji has been restored."
Zhan Chen raised his eyebrows slightly.
He took the sheets of still-warm printed paper and looked at them, then went to Yu Tang's side and wiped the face of the little mecha that was racing against time to fish and had its face sprayed with ink by a squid.
"Don't put the hook in too quickly." Zhan Chen held his hand, "You have to anticipate that the squid will swim one-third slower than other fish."
Yu Tang knew this in principle, but there were always various problems in actual operation. He leaned back and simply handed the fishing rod to the person in charge of the mall, who was in charge of directing: "I want to catch that fire-breathing fish."
Zhan Chen nodded, aimed at the swimming dark-colored cardinalfish, and put down the hook.
The originally ordinary little fish was startled, and its body suddenly became transparent, spewing out a ball of shimmering dark blue light mist.
Zhan Chen took the fish he caught and put it in Yu Tang's fish basket: "Are you feeling uncomfortable?"
"Don't worry, it's not stripped out in one go."
Yu Tang shook his head: "After all, there are many particles now, so we don't need this one."
Zhan Chen touched the little mecha's forehead.
Yu Tang squinted his eyes comfortably, leaned on his arms, and looked up at Shi Ji who was calmly assigning tasks on the light screen.
Time for Shi Ji almost stopped because he stayed in the eye of the storm for too long and exchanged too many particles.
He was torn away from the flow of time and left alone in the long nineteen years old.
Shi Ji, who was implanted with a program and transformed into a so-called "bionic man", did not undergo any restorative training like Pu Ying after waking up, and was almost a completely blank shell.
After being brought back to the Sheng family, Shi Ji had been under the high pressure of Sheng Tian and the system, repeatedly trying to find the blocked and erased self. Until now, his missing part was finally completely completed.
During the time they shared the sea of consciousness, Yu Tang had already stripped out all the particles that had been exchanged into the eye of the storm and returned them all to him.
"Find an opportunity to celebrate her birthday, and she will be twenty years old."
Yu Tang said: "Now that the task for this book is completed, let's go together. Shi Ji will continue to watch her grow up, and we will continue to watch her complete the task. No one will be delayed."
Yu Tang: "By the way, what is the mission of this book?"
Zhan Chen: “…”
Yu Tang really forgot. In the past, it was the system that reminded him to complete the task. Now that he had almost seized the back door of the mall and was no longer under performance pressure, he almost forgot about the task bar for this book.
Yu Tang stood up, brought up the light screen, and flipped through the records: "I remember it was here..."
"The mission is to eat cookies, drink milk, and sleep."
Zhan Chen closed the message record for him and put the fishing rod back into the little mecha's hand: "Fishing, occupy the Chuanshu Bureau, and exchange for asteroids."
Yu Tang: “?”
He felt that Zhan's appearance was also being distorted by him and little S7.
There should be at least one responsible and rational person in the family. Yu Tang watched Zhan Chen stand up and was a little worried that he was going to prepare ammunition for occupying Chuanshu Bureau: "Director Zhan?"
"Go get two sunglasses."
Zhan Chen gestured to the light screen: "The one who is going to exchange for the asteroid has already collected thirty boxes of flares in order to achieve his small goal."
Wu Ming looked at the thirty boxes of flares and couldn't help but wonder, "If all these things explode together... can I donate my eyes?"
"If you know you're scared, why don't you just put out the cigarette?"
The people around were also nervous: "Be careful, stay away... Who would want to donate your black eye?"
Wu Ming's hands trembled, and he quickly put out the cigarette: "You still mean it? It was you who instigated him to get out of the wingman!"
"Isn't it because of you that we have to think of a way? You won't surrender even if you're beaten to death? After being beaten, you'll surrender faster than anyone else!"
"This is about adapting to circumstances. A real man can bend and stretch."
"Stop stretching and apply some compress to your face. It's really hindering your fighting ability..."
…
People from different parts, levels and identities mixed together, and inevitably bickered with each other, and the atmosphere was no longer as tense as before.
When faced with the real high pressure of the insect swarm, the previous vigilance and barriers were temporarily thrown aside.
The operator of the Western Military Region put down the last two boxes of flares and said to Shi Ji: "That's all... The main force is the mecha division, and there are not many observers."
Shi Ji carefully recorded the notes: "Thank you for your hard work."
The operator saluted him and returned to his post responsible for defense.
Flares are a basic configuration for wingmen. They have no real offensive power and their only feature is that they are bright.
The large-caliber flares he was equipped with had a brightness of 500,000 candela and could last for 30 seconds at a time. Just one or two flares were enough to turn the darkness within a kilometer radius into daylight.
If these flares really exploded at the same time, they might not cause much damage, but they would definitely create an explosion effect of world-destroying magnitude.
Wu Ming carefully put out the cigarette butt with water. He was so curious that he could not help but come back to find Shi Ji and ask, "What do you want to do with this thing... blind the night crawlers, and then take advantage of the opportunity to kill as many as you can?"
"That's another plan." Shi Ji said, "We will ignite flares in different directions to disrupt the Zerg's advance."
Nocturnal insects are phototactic. Even in a huge swarm of insects, they will still be influenced by their nature and move towards things that glow.
When the position of the light source is inconsistent with the direction of the insect tide's movement, in theory, it can cause chaos within the insect tide.
"No, it's too dangerous." Wu Ming couldn't help but frown. "What if the insect swarm is really attracted by the flares and all comes towards you?"
"You didn't bring your mecha operator?"
Wu Ming didn't trust the so-called "intelligent AI-driven mechas". He glanced at the crowd and whispered, "Let me remind you, don't trust these mecha operators too much... I'm also an operator, and I think their level is not good enough."
In recent years, there have been many reports that each generation of mecha operators is worse than the previous one.
Wu Ming curled his lips and said, "He is brainless, impulsive, and acts on impulse. He lacks judgment... The military region requires the improvement of operator quality every year, but it's a pity that he doesn't live up to expectations and can't improve."
Shi Ji shook his head.
Wu Ming was stunned: "Isn't it?"
"It's not that the operators are incompetent," Shi Ji said, "it's that there's something wrong with the selection and training mechanism."
According to the old combat system, the training of mecha operators has always been based on individual combat, using a large amount of resources to build up the individual's ultimate combat power. The selection plan that matches this training system will naturally favor those with stronger individual qualities.
In this kind of screening, all qualities except individual combat capability are not considered.
The emergence of mechas did raise the limits of human combat power for a period of time.
The mechas are getting stronger and stronger, and the mecha operators are getting stronger and stronger. The power mechas can tear apart a steel beetle that is more than ten meters long with bare hands, and the assault mechas can destroy a small insect tide alone.
But year after year, the insect swarm continues to evolve in the battle with humans, becoming more and more terrifying and more and more difficult to resist.
Even the most powerful mecha is helpless in the face of thousands of out-of-control night crawlers.
"The core concept of mecha is to turn a person into a powerful weapon."
Shi Ji said: “It shouldn’t be like this.”
Wu Ming had never heard of this idea before. After thinking about it carefully, he couldn't help but frowning.
… This approach may not sound appealing, but it is not wrong at all.
Because talents are selected according to the standards of weapons, those who are more capable and more willing to fight by intuition will naturally have an advantage in training.
Of course, among those selected, there are also all-round geniuses who are calm and rational, have good judgment and a broad perspective. But more people with these qualities are quietly diverted during their lifetime and actively choose the observer profession, which can better utilize these talents.
"The Zerg fight by instinct. I shouldn't be like them. I have degenerated to the point where only instinct remains."
Shi Ji: "I haven't thought this through yet. I'll think about it after I come down from heaven."
Wu Ming: “…”
"Are you going up now?"
Wu Ming glanced at the Dolphin, which was carrying flares, and quickly followed Shi Ji: "What are you going to say? How can I protect you? Do you have any coordinated combat plans..."
He did not control the sound this time, and many people heard it and looked over.
Shi Ji stopped.
He said seriously: "I don't need protection."
It was the first time that Wu Ming heard that there was an observer who did not need protection. He was stunned for a moment and looked at Shi Ji who jumped into the cockpit of the wingman swiftly.
"You have a mecha." Shi Ji said, "I and the Dolphin will protect you. All you have to do is fight."
Shi Ji: "I will observe and evaluate your battles, and according to your combat habits, I will try to disperse and guide the insect swarm to the position that is most suitable for your attack."
"This may take ten to fifteen minutes."
Shi Ji put on his goggles and said, "It's a bit long. I will try my best to shorten it."
…
The overwhelming buzzing sound of the insect swarm is getting close.
Wu Ming watched the wingman circling and taking off, and couldn't help but ask the special forces member beside him: "He really doesn't look down on us... right?"
"No." The young special forces soldier whispered, "This kind of fighting method has appeared before."
It was already ten years ago.
Ten years ago, a team also used this fighting method to turn the tide and win a fierce battle.
The main observer of that team has now returned to the special operations team and become their new leader.
I heard that the deputy observer was extremely young.
"The deputy observer's wingman... I have an impression of him."
Sui Qi whispered: "I have watched his training and combat videos many times."
They were all proud geniuses. He didn't believe how strong a 17-year-old observer could be. He was not convinced by his team leader's evaluation and went to watch a lot of old videos kept by the special forces.
…Those videos completely changed his understanding of observers.
Sui Qi remembers that wingman very clearly.
The wingman that appeared before him had undoubtedly been modified and strengthened many times. It had been repainted, replaced with a polymer carbon composite shell, and its weapons had also been updated and upgraded.
But when Shi Ji pulled up the joystick and let the silver wingman break through the blood-red clouds in the sky, the scene in the video suddenly popped up in his mind.
"I've seen this wingman in a video." Sui Qi said, "It's called 'Morning Star'."
The star that stands firmly on the horizon between darkness and light before and after dawn and at dusk.
Sui Qi jumped onto his mecha, connected to the control cabin, pulled down his goggles and put on his helmet, and all weapons were ready for use.
Wu Ming shrugged, without wasting any more time, and entered the mecha neatly.
Dazzling flares cut through the darkening sky.
The swarm of insects covered half the sky.
Shi Ji didn't take ten or fifteen minutes.
Those mechas that were once unwilling and were persuaded by his grandmother to come back to cooperate, Shi Ji had already mastered the combat methods that the operators were most accustomed to in just a few minutes of fighting.
Flares were dropped one after another, disrupting the insect tide's advance just in place.
Each battle zone that a mecha is responsible for will be "allocated" with mechanical insects with the maximum strength to deal with it through flares. Once someone can't hold on, the excess Zerg will be immediately led away.
The teams composed of special forces shuttled around to fill in the gaps, and once they found the situation was tense, they would quickly join the battle.
Shi Ji watched the entire battle situation.
He led the Dolphin to shuttle through the insect swarm. The silver streamlined mecha followed Shi Ji silently. Its sharp blade wings pierced through the abdomen of the mechanical insect without mercy, and firmly guarded its wingman under the dense and rain-like attack of the insect swarm.
…
This fierce battle undoubtedly alarmed the abandoned factory that was ready for battle at any time.
Ye Hanfeng raised his head, walked quickly out of the shelter, and looked at the sky illuminated by the flares.
Many students had already rushed over and gathered at the lookout. The scene before them was so shocking that they were speechless. They looked at each other with pale faces.
The dark, sky-blocking swarm of insects was locked in an invisible line of defense and was constantly struggling to break through.
This time, the mechanical bugs had already adjusted their appearance. Ye Hanfeng recognized them and ordered sternly, "Turn off all lighting equipment and do not ignite! Turn off the engines of all mechas!"
The staff members hurriedly did as they were told and turned around and dispersed.
Ye Hanfeng wiped the cold sweat from his palms. He was about to check the defenses when he saw Sheng Yi still standing there. He frowned and walked over: "Shut down the mecha and go back to the bunker!"
"It should be the trainees and special forces of the active-duty troops. They are helping us to stop the insect tide. At least we can't add any more pressure to them."
Ye Hanfeng urged in a deep voice: "Hurry up—"
Next to him, a member of the preparatory class mustered up the courage to whisper, "Captain Ye... that wingman looks like Captain Sheng's former observer."
Ye Hanfeng suddenly raised his head and looked over there in the light of the flare.
The distance was too far, and the bright light, strong enough to temporarily blind a person, could not track his location, but it was still bright enough for the wingman to see it very clearly.
"Is Director Sheng's observation ability so strong?"
The officer was confused: "With this kind of strength, he should have been admitted to the special operations team long ago. Why is he still staying in the Military Academy and serving as an observer for Director Sheng?"