Chapter 169

Su Jing's fingertip rested on the temperature display screen in the villa's control room. The red number "55℃" was 7℃ lower than yesterday's 62℃, but the red light of the "Beast Tide Warning" warning below the screen was still glaringly bright—

The communicator had just displayed an emergency message from "China - West City Outpost" when the accompanying live video showed a dozen metal-shelled beetles crashing side-by-side into the temporary protective netting, which was already deformed.

The people at the outpost fired ordinary laser guns, but the beams only left shallow marks on the armor. Desperate cries came through the screen: "Does anyone have armor-piercing rounds? We can't hold on much longer!"

"Number 1, expand the detection range of the vibration sensor from 10 meters to 15 meters, and set the sensitivity to the 'high risk' level. Trigger the sound and light alarm when the herd of animals gets within 5 meters. Don't wait until they are right next to the protective net before you react."

Su Jing turned and gave the order into the communicator, while simultaneously walking to the corner of the control room and opening the spatial transmission port—

Inside were boxes of manganese crystal nails and thickened plastic sheets, defensive supplies she had stockpiled before, which were now being used to improve the defensive perimeter.

"Su Jing! There's a pack of beasts 2 kilometers to the south! It's a mix of windwing birds and iron-shelled beetles! I can smell their ferocity; they're much more ferocious than a single pack!"

Xiao Jin squatted beside the monitor screen, its dark eyes fixed on the blurry black figures on the screen. Its little paws clung to Su Jing's trouser leg, and its voice in its mind was urgent, "They seem to be moving this way. Should we send the patrol robot over to check it out?"

Su Jing immediately zoomed in on the surveillance footage to the south—in the video, a gray-black wind-winged bird hovered low in the air, followed by a dozen or so iron-shelled beetles, moving slowly along the abandoned road. Although the speed was slow, the number of them was nearly twice that of the previous solitary herd.

"No need, just build the defense perimeter first, and the patrol robots will guard the outer perimeter."

She ordered robots No. 2 and No. 5: "You two form a patrol team and patrol along the 15-meter line around the villa. Make one round every 30 minutes. Set the laser gun to 'deterrence' mode. If you encounter a group of animals, fire a warning shot first. Do not attack them. The key is to keep them outside the defensive perimeter."

Robot No. 2 raised its robotic arm and fired a laser gun into the air as a test; Robot No. 5 then brought up the patrol route map, which displayed a four-way cycle of "East-South-West-North" on the screen. Each turning point in each direction had a vibration sensor, forming a closed loop.

Su Jing watched them set off, then turned to No. 3 and No. 4: "No. 3, use manganese crystal nails to fix the plastic boards to the ground outside the protective netting. The spacing between each board should be 5 centimeters, and there should be no gaps to prevent beetles from crawling in through the gaps in the boards."

On the 4th, the sprinkler system was modified to a 'dual-layer mode': an outer layer sprays cooling water mist, and an inner layer sprays a high-pressure water curtain. This not only repels ants but also cools the protective netting, preventing it from deforming due to high temperatures.

Robot No. 3 immediately retrieved manganese crystal nails from space—three times harder than ordinary nails, requiring almost no effort to drive them into the ground. After the plastic board was laid on top, the nails were used to fix it along the edges, forming a smooth isolation strip 1 meter wide. Even if the iron-shelled beetle's legs were sharp, it would not be able to grip the surface of the plastic board.

For No. 4, the sprinkler pipes are adjusted so that the outer nozzles spray a fine mist of water onto the protective netting, instantly reducing the temperature of the netting. The inner nozzles spray water onto the ground, forming a 5-centimeter-deep water band, which, together with the plastic sheeting, creates double protection.

"Su Jing, let me check the vibration device for you!"

Xiao Jin ran to the protective fence, brought its little nose close to the sensor, and said earnestly in its mind, "This sensor's 'smell' is right! I can smell its detection range, which is much larger than before. It will definitely detect when the herd of beasts gets close!"

It ran around the protective netting once, then ran back. "The sprinkler head on the west side is a bit crooked and can't reach the plastic sheeting. I've pointed it out for you!"

Su Jing looked in the direction the little golden finger pointed and, sure enough, one of the shower heads was tilted to the side. She had robot number 4 adjust it and then checked all the equipment again.

The green light on the vibration sensor is flashing, the water pressure in the sprinkler system is stable, the plastic panels are securely fixed, and the patrol robot has completed its first patrol without detecting any approaching herd of animals.

Just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a private message suddenly popped up on my communicator from "China - Northern Base": "@I am the God of Wealth, our base has encountered a Tier 3 Giant Rock Beast and urgently needs a Tier 3 Armor-Piercing Cannon. We have 5 Tier 2 Demon Cores and 2 Tier 1 Demon Cores. Is it possible to trade?"

Su Jing opened the system's trading channel interface, which had a "Demon Core Valuation" function. She entered the demon core's level and quantity, and the system automatically displayed "Equivalent Points: 320 points," while the price of a Tier 3 Armor-Piercing Cannon was 500 points, a difference of 180 points.

However, she had stockpiled a lot of armor-piercing cannons in her space and didn't care about these points. More importantly, she wanted to help the base deal with the beast tide and pave the way for future cooperation. She replied, "We can exchange them. You submit your demon core through the system's trading channel, and I'll match you with an armor-piercing cannon. After the transaction is completed, I'll send you a 'Tier 3 Beast Defense Guide' to teach you how to aim at the Giant Rock Beast's weaknesses."

The Northern Base quickly replied: "Thank you, 'God of Wealth'! We'll submit the demon core right now!"

Looking at the transaction progress bar on the communicator, Su Jing knew that this was just the beginning. More bases would definitely come to exchange weapons, so she had to quickly formulate the rules for "exchanging demon cores for weapons" while ensuring that the villa's defenses were foolproof. After all, the beast tide had not subsided, and she couldn't let the transaction distract her and put the villa in danger.

As the sun set, the patrol robot completed its third patrol and found no animals approaching.

The plastic panels and sprinkler system outside the protective netting are operating normally, and the vibration sensing device remains sensitive.

The transaction at the Northern Base was also completed, and Su Jing sent over the "Third-Tier Beast Defense Guide".

She stood in front of the monitor screen, watching the sky gradually darken outside. Little Jin squatted at her feet, its voice in her mind reassuring her: "The defenses are so strong today, the beast horde definitely can't get in!" Su Jing patted its head, said nothing, but gripped the reinforced mining blade at her waist.