A giant beetle crawls across the Martian desert.
Now, every day, Zhang Fan mines in the morning, goes out to scout at noon, and finds a secluded place at night to hide the "giant beetle" in a defensive form overnight.
As the investigation deepened, many things that were previously difficult to understand became clear.
Why does the ridge-like lava pipe system beneath Olympus Mons extend far beyond what was expected, reaching as far as beneath the Martian south polar ice cap?
This is because insects widened the ridge-shaped lava tubes and used them as their nests.
Why would an insect's nest need to extend beneath the Martian south polar ice cap?
Water is essential for insects to survive and for the cultivation of fungal mats.
The temperature inside the lava tubes is mostly above 0 degrees Celsius. They dig underground pipes to bring liquid water from the Martian south polar underground lake to the nest's core.
The construction of underground cities within Martian lava tubes, making the first humans to immigrate to Mars "cave dwellers," was originally part of the human migration plan to Mars.
It must be said that the insects did what humans wanted to do on Mars.
The most important part of the nest, the queen's egg chamber, has not yet been found.
Then we can only keep searching.
Bang!
Zhang Fan lay on the roof of the "Giant Beetle" and shot a wandering bug in the head, eliminating it.
During the day, few insects venture outside their nests. Insects prefer warm, humid conditions but dislike sunlight.
Rarely, but that means they do exist. It's quite normal for humans to see cockroaches wandering around the kitchen during the day.
However, there are far too many insects roaming around this place during the day.
Zhang Fan had already dispersed all the "fleas," and as the "fleas" continued to explore deeper underground, the mystery was soon revealed.
200 meters underground, there is a huge space, roughly the size of a standard football stadium, where a large number of life forms were detected.
This is where the queen cockroach's egg chamber is located.
Zhang Fan felt that God must be playing a joke on him.
After going around in circles, we've come full circle. 200 meters above the queen cockroach's egg chamber lies the original site of the "bird's nest" base.
But now the "Bird's Nest" is completely empty. All the buildings have been eaten away by insects. Only the traces left on the ground can remind people of what this place used to look like.
Knock knock knock!
It's coming.
Zhang Fan made the "Giant Beetle" drive automatically, while he lay on the roof and continued firing his AWP at the rear.
Bang!
clang!
The armor-piercing bullet struck the insect's carapace on its back and bounced off.
Holy crap! Even armor-piercing rounds can't penetrate its outer shell?
Zhang Fan's heart was racing; he had deliberately lured this six-star cockroach here.
The giant beetle stopped in an open basin, quite a distance from the entrance to the insect's nest, and with mountain ridges blocking its way, it was unlikely that it could call for its companions.
Crack—
The hydraulic system of the MK10 insect-specific mech tightened, and Zhang Fan drew the molten twin swords from his shoulder.
It's rare to encounter a lone one in the wild, it would be a shame not to give it a try.
We need to ascertain the insects' maximum combat strength before we can formulate a plan to infiltrate their nests.
“Hey, don’t you dare touch it later,” Zhang Fan patted Bob, who was squatting beside him, staring angrily at the bug. “Let me test its strength first.”
Once outside the car, Bob quickly transformed into his mutated form.
The six-star father cockroach charged over like a mantis wielding its scythe, and Zhang Fan jumped off the roof of the car without hesitation, slashing down with his molten twin swords.
Swish!
With just one move, the outcome was decided.
"Bob! Bro!"
"Relay! Relay!" Zhang Fan retreated repeatedly, holding the two broken, molten swords.
This slap in the face came incredibly fast.
"Roar!"
Bob yelled and jumped off the roof of the car. The six-star father also gave up chasing Zhang Fan and shifted his target to Bob.
Bang!
Bob punched the Six-Star Father Cockroach, who only swayed slightly before swinging his six scythes at Bob.
Bob dodged the scythe and jumped aside; it seemed he wouldn't dare catch a blade empty-handed this time.
The six-star father cockroach is the top combat force among insects. It is the only insect that has the right to reproduce with the queen cockroach. Just think about how terrifying its strength is.
The rules of the insect world are simple: the strongest has the right to reproduce, while the old, weak, sick, and disabled will only be eaten.
Based on the findings of these past few days, the total number of male cockroaches in the insect nest is no more than 10.
Bang!
clang!
Zhang Fan switched to using a 30mm mecha-specific sniper rifle, and the armor-piercing rounds only created a shallow dent in the carapace on the back of the Six-Star Father Cockroach.
That's way too hard.
The six-star father cockroach turned around and tried to crawl towards Zhang Fan, but Bob grabbed its hind leg, spun it around a few times, and threw it away.
boom!
The six-star father cockroach crashed into a rock wall, causing half of the rock to collapse and bury it underneath.
Swish, swish, swish!
The sickle sliced through the rocks above, and the six-star father cockroach emerged from the pile of rocks, shaking off the sand and dirt.
Squeak squeak squeak—
The six-star father cockroach got angry, and rubbed its six sickles together, making a clicking sound.
Bang!
Bob picked up a rock and shoved it in its face.
Bang bang bang!
There were plenty of rocks on the ground, and Bob pinned the six-star cockroach to the spot, unable to move for a while.
Bang!
Snap!
The six-star father cockroach's scythe was knocked away.
Unload the bullet, load the chamber, and continue aiming at the joint of the six-star father cockroach's forelimb: "Let's see if your skin is tougher, or my tungsten-core armor-piercing bullet!"
Bang!
Snap!
Another sickle was knocked away.
Squeak squeak squeak—
The six-star father cockroach tried to rush towards Zhang Fan, but was stopped by Bob, who picked up a rock the size of a water tank and swung it at him.
boom!
Bang!
The human and the beast worked together flawlessly, one as a tank and the other as a ranged attacker, leaving the insect boss helpless.
Zhang Fan lay on the roof of the car, feeling really comfortable. With Bob there, he didn't have to worry about defense at all; he only needed to concentrate on aiming.
Squeak squeak squeak—
Realizing the situation was dire, the six-star father cockroach tried to escape. If it retreated to the vicinity of its nest, or to a place with other insects, Zhang Fan and Bob would be no match for it.
We can't let it escape.
Bob waved his hand into the air and clenched his fist.
flutter!
The six-star cockroach fell to the ground, and no matter how its lower limbs slid in place, its body could not move forward an inch.
Bob pulled back with both hands alternately, as if there were an invisible hand in the air, dragging the body of the six-star father cockroach backward.
Spider silk.
A transparent thread, almost invisible to the naked eye, connects Bob's wrist and the back of the six-star cockroach.
"Roar!"
Bob roared and jumped onto the back of the six-star cockroach, swinging his arms to pound the back of the insect's neck.
The insect's back is a blind spot; the sickle can only slash forward without touching Bob at all.
Slap! Slap!
Bob seized the opportunity to grab the forelimbs of the six-star cockroach from behind and broke its scythe at the joint.
Swish!
Two scythes entered from the back of the chest and exited from the front, piercing through the body of the six-star father cockroach.
squeak--
The six-star cockroach let out a mournful cry.
Whoosh!
With the double blades crossed, the head of the six-star father cockroach flew into the air.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com