Chapter 74 Hard Date
*
"Return to the First Fortress immediately."
Chris gave the order calmly.
"receive!"
"Engine start completed—"
'The countdown to the interstellar migration begins, 10-9-8...'
Mary turned around, looking relaxed and even joking, "Please fasten your seat belts! We don't sell snacks on board, so please be aware of it!"
The atmosphere in the Sun-Swallowing Shuttle suddenly became relaxed, with everyone sitting down in their seats and occasionally exchanging a joke or two.
But for some reason, as the countdown continued, Chris's palms began to get wet. She glanced at the situation inside the Sun Devourer. Gary, who was at the right rear, said nothing, and Rambo, who usually argued with Mary, was also silent with an unusual expression.
She couldn't help but look in Su Xi's direction again. When their eyes met, Chris let out a sigh of relief.
She walked over and sat next to Su Xi. The omega's special calm and composed expression slightly alleviated the inexplicable feeling of oppression that suddenly enveloped her.
Chris put his hands on his knees politely, hesitated for a moment and said, "Ms. Naya, may I ask why you refused to inject the 'coagulant'? Although the Sun-Swallowing Shuttle is very stable during the jump after special modification, the tearing feeling during the time-space jump is not pleasant..."
"Your physical condition is not as good as ours..."
"Chris," Su Xi did not answer Chris directly, but called her name softly. Then Chris saw that white, delicate and soft hand was placed on the back of his hand.
Chris was stunned.
Su Xi shook Chris's hand a little harder. It was a wheat-colored, slightly rough, standard soldier's hand.
Then he quickly let go.
Chris raised his eyes and saw that the amber eyes were filled with concern and... an expression that Chris couldn't describe.
"Chris." Su Xi said calmly, "Don't be too nervous."
"Although we face uncertain risks, everything must proceed according to the original 'timeline' before that 'picture' arrives."
Chris suddenly felt calm. If this wasn't an omega that had already been reserved, she really wanted to give her a hug.
Su Xi didn't think too much about this fleeting detail. Although she had the gender awareness of the ABO society, the black-haired, black-eyed, wheat-skinned woman in front of her felt so familiar to her.
She leaned back in her chair, took a deep breath, and tried to relax, preparing to endure the tearing feeling when the leap engine started.
'It takes two interstellar jumps to reach the first fortress...'
'First interstellar migration'
"Countdown, 4-3-2..."
Under the operation of Mary and Ellen, the Sun-Swallowing Shuttle started, and the blue light became brighter.
At this moment in the arid wasteland, the storm caused by the magnetic pole adjustment has soared to level B, and the cracks in the red dry ground have become more severe.
Beasts scattered, mosquitoes and ants danced... low ravines arched up, high rocks collapsed...
In this devilish scene, a twisted transparent vortex suddenly formed in the large visual empty space where the Sun-Swallowing Shuttle's 'invisible force field' had been hidden!
The vortex twisted! The floating smoke and plant debris mixed together... forming a suspended smoke that spread in the air...
The Sun-Swallowing Shuttle's engine is charging and starting! It is about to escape from this current point in time and space!
However!
Crunch! A huge, piercing, and dull sound rang out!
After the antimatter engine was activated, the Sun-Swallowing Shuttle, which had already disappeared halfway into the fuselage, suddenly stopped! The teardrop-shaped hull kept shaking. It seemed to have been bounced back to its original position by an invisible and extremely flexible high wall.
The original invisibility force field of the Sun-Swallowing Shuttle gradually lost its effectiveness, and the entire ship's smooth and beautiful transparent outline was faintly visible in this wilderness...
The interior cabin of the Sun-Swallowing Shuttle.
Chris and others also noticed the change at the first time.
After overcoming the huge recoil force of the jump shock, Ellen and Mary jumped up from their seats, immediately checked the cause of the jump failure, and quickly found the cause of the fault.
The well-trained team figured out the situation in fifteen seconds.
"Sir!" said Ellen. "This is very bad!"
"The energy of the Sun-Swallowing Shuttle's time-space jump has been rebounded!"
"and--"
At this moment, Mary also restored the real-time scanning system. In the holographic projection at this time, the dense Zerg phantoms that were originally filled in the planet's outer orbit were now almost solid!
"Planet BV32-II has been completely blockaded by the Zerg!"
"What is that..." Allen's glasses reflected the horrific image in the holographic projection, and he couldn't help but murmured in doubt: "Is that the 'flying dragon' among the soldier bugs?"
In the holographic image, above the planet, there are three huge nematodes as big as planetary rings, appearing in the shadows. The powerful and terrifying energy almost forms a material substance. They wriggle and tightly wrap all the escape orbits above the planet.
"Sir!" Mary said, "Nematode energy blockade, two level five 'flying dragons' and one level seven!"
"The Sun Devourer's core energy is limited! In high-load output mode, the engine fan blades can only be activated twice at most!"
"Please give me instructions!"
"Increase the output of the Transformation Engine to its maximum energy limit!" Chris gritted his teeth and gave the order, "We must force our way through!"
As soon as Chris said the word "hard break-in", countless fragmented images that seemed real and fake rushed towards Su Xiwei in his mind.
She closed her eyes slightly, unable to bear it any longer. Her slender fingers tightly grasped the armrest.
He used so much force that it almost turned white.
*
The Hera Black Hole is located at the deepest point of the 'Universe'.
This black hole, formed by the artificial collapse of a supernova, leads to a different dimension on the other side of the white hole.
This was the main battlefield between the two major races thousands of years ago. It was the prison area used by humans to imprison and lock down the development of the Zerg after they narrowly won the battle at the cost of destroying the entire life galaxy.
At the outermost edge of the hive is a mineral planet mining zone.
A huge worker worm, the same size as a human engineering vehicle or crane, is under the command of a small brain worm, mechanically repeating the mining-refining work of digging, devouring, and excreting refined ore.
This seventh-level 'worker' insect with a genetic sequence of ZT006 was hatched during the period when the tribe was strong. It is a direct descendant of the previous generation of the queen of the insect tribe. Therefore, both in size and work ability, it is stronger than the same species in the direct descendant of the current queen.
The direct descendants of the current queen have been trapped in this barren star field since they were born. The energy of the star field is becoming increasingly scarce, and the eggs and colonies laid by the new generation of "queens" are getting smaller and smaller. It has been a long time since insects of the same size have been hatched.
For this reason, although ZT006's death gene lock was actually activated a long time ago, due to the tribe's need for work coordination, he was "recognized" as "useful" by the gene hub. Therefore, even if his limbs were severely worn and his mouthparts were aged and difficult to eat, his final death date was extended indefinitely.
ZT006 drags its aging body to work mechanically day after day, waiting for the moment of its final death.
Now it has waited.
But before ZT006 discovered the intruder, the entire Zerg defense center was completely unaware of the alien invasion and infiltration that was taking place.
Even though the main nest was temporarily trapped in this desolate place, the 'insect race' was undoubtedly one of the most powerful races in the universe, and they never expected that a single 'human' would force its way in.
A tiny wave rippled in the sky, and a humanoid mecha suddenly appeared. After two flashes, it immediately rushed towards the direction of the Zerg's "nest" like a meteor!
The first line of defense set up by the Zerg in the Hera Black Hole was silently bypassed.
Against the backdrop of the vast universe, blue-purple spots of light flashed again between the rough and desolate planetary belts, and a sentinel formation of the Zerg on the second line of defense was killed silently!
"The sentinel insect simulation wave has been set to launch. The next rotation will be in eleven minutes. The countdown is now on—"
The cold countdown sounded from the computer inside the mecha cabin.
While annihilating the entire army of Zerg sentinels, the Dark Flame Mecha threw out a set of signal simulators and simultaneously activated the migration engine without stopping, flashing towards the third defense circle!
The intelligent computer coldly calculated the last time available for hiding. Dark Flame must reach the predetermined tactical location faster than the return speed of the sentinel signal!
At this moment, ZT006 is on the planetary mineral belt within the third layer of defense, performing mechanical labor day after day.
Boom——Crack——
At the top of the mine, there was a slight sound, and Dark Flame landed silently, with gravel rolling down from under the feet of the humanoid mecha to the bottom of the mine.
ZT006, which was mining, raised its head and looked straight at the...'fellows' who were making the noise?
Like other members of the same species, ZT006 was bewitched by the Dark Flame mecha's blue-purple mental waves when he first came into contact with it. Was that the latest generation of leapfrog insects?
But it quickly realized that it was not, because in its pitifully small brain memory, there was a similar infrared scan image!
That is——a humanoid mecha!
The long limbs danced in the air with a strange rhythm and rhythm, click-click ...
The special frequency band belonging to the Zerg was quickly transmitted!
However, the next second!
ZT006's large compound eyes reflected its own old remains and scattered limbs in the distance...
The compound eyes cannot close.
Its last sight remains forever at that moment.
This scene was also uploaded to the Zerg's "spiritual shared domain" through the Zerg's unique "thinking network". If we use human visual imagery to compare, it is a densely packed "node-like" brain area, and the center of the brain area is located in the "nest heart", located in the large "central receptor" under the third segment of the Zerg Queen.
Almost at the same time, the Dark Flame mecha's mind connected to the cabin. The intelligent brain accelerated and recalculated the latest simulation data.
'Beep - ZT006 generation seventh-level worker insect, universal insect tribe previous generation queen signal band, currently cannot be disguised and simulated.'
"Activate backup plan."
The man in the mecha cabin replied indifferently to the red 'warning' warning on the computer screen.
'Backup activated. Data recalculated. Please give your instructions for a new tactical plan.'
Fitzgerald closed his eyes slightly, and in the extremely deep frequency synchronization between man and machine, in the transformation of the neuron links in the human brain into the byte mode of the silicon-based calculator, he quickly completed the new tactical layout. Then the red-haired alpha left the mental relay instrument in a leisurely manner, came to the detachment cabin and began to automatically put on the armor exoskeleton for the next stealth.
It seemed like just a routine exercise, with cold and precise calculations and undelayed rhythm.
"Prepare for human-machine separation and access to the remote mental link band."
"As you wish."
*
At this moment, the central system in the Zerg Queen's brain did not initially regard the dying scene of ZT006 as a major crisis. The Queen was worried about the news sent back by the task force far away in the Great Wilderness Star Region.
Some humans had set their sights on the insect eggs she had hidden and had already dug them out.
The Queen pondered the current difficult situation. She was very afraid of the increasingly strong magnetic storm on the planet. If the core of the earth erupted with magma, the mature "golden eggs" would not be afraid, but would become a hotbed for them to mature. But the other batches of "eggs" that had not yet hatched would be scrapped!
As for the king insect 'Flying Dragon' that went on the mission, it would be no problem for it to block the entire planet, but the huge size of the 'Flying Dragon' was obviously not suitable for such a delicate task as 'retrieving' insect eggs.
So which king insect and its subordinates should be sent next?
The insect queen's five slanted compound eyes turned and scanned the other five king insects who were waiting respectfully under the platform.
Ta-ta-ta——
The short limbs tapped the ore steps rhythmically. That was the Queen thinking. In order to save energy, she entered a state of half-sleep and half-wakefulness, and fell into deep thought.
In the band simulation sent back from the Great Wilderness Star Region, there was a short section of strange "resonance waves" that made her feel both familiar and very concerned.
I mind it very much.
The entire empty and damp nest was in complete silence. Even the servants stopped their timid movements, fearing to disturb the Queen's thoughts.
Ta-ta-ta——
The rhythm of the short limbs hitting the mine steps gradually slowed down.
It sank into the ancient genetic memory in a half-asleep state, exploring the long time before it was born. The "reverse decoding" in the genetic inheritance still allowed it to glimpse the vast universe experienced by the previous queens -
That was an ancient universe with abundant energy and even more vast 'space'.
The Zerg at that time were generally larger and more ferocious than they are now, but they were only a low-level group at the bottom of the life chain. It was the era of space beasts, and at the top of the pyramid that traversed the ancient universe was a space beast that moved extremely slowly, using the planetary belt as its bed! It fed on the particle streams ejected by stars!
The main tribe of the Sun Devourer Beasts... is...
That familiar wave engraved in my genes...
It is about to grasp the 'panorama of genetic memory' restored by 'reverse decoding'!
However, at this moment!
Deep inside this "worm planet" transformed from a high-gravity, mineral-rich planet with a diameter of 29,000 km, at the core of the Queen's beehive-like worm nest, a long wave of "invasion" warning information quickly echoed in the empty "nest heart"!
The Zerg Queen, who was originally immersed in meditation and was about to successfully complete the genetic memory puzzle in the 'reverse decoding', was abruptly interrupted by the alarm!
The Queen of the Insect Tribe raised her head high, and her short forelimbs tapped the steps rapidly, expressing her extreme anger.
On the ground, there are desolate and vast mines on the surface of the Worm Star.
After the Dark Flame mecha passed over the corpse of the 'worker insect' ZT006, the second thing to react was the sentry post on the ground in the Zerg's inner nest.
But at this moment, as a powerful invader, Dark Flame was already very close to the entrance of the huge "Nest Center" where the Queen was. Dark Flame's shoulder cannon was activated, and according to the replacement tactical procedure, after a round of precise bursts of fire, the first sentry post on the ground of the Insect Star almost collapsed completely...
Then, amid the smoke, An Yan's six-winged wings spread out in two pairs, a posture that allowed both offense and defense.
At the same time, the Queen, who was almost present at the scene after quickly entering the Zerg's 'mental wave network', felt seriously provoked!
Being trapped in this desolate corner of the universe by humanity's 'only strategy' can be said to be the trend of the entire universe's will to decline!
But in its 'absolute domain'! There are actually foreign races that dare to directly provoke? !
The queen of the insect race is still living in the secret 'nest', with her mouth wide open in anger, emitting low-frequency screams that are imperceptible to human ears!
On the ground. The third line of defense of the inner nest.
Following the Queen's orders, countless enraged vanguard 'gold-eating bugs' leapt up from the ground and gnawed at the silently standing mecha Dark Flame.
The ice-blue energy shield unfolded, mercilessly strangling the charging insect soldiers, but the underground nests continued to pour out. Those were the "insect tribe"'s forward sentinels used for the first round of charge, without any sense of pain and without fear of death!
And out of the sight of the sentry, Fitzgerald, the first heir to the empire, was wearing the simplest mecha exoskeleton and quietly jumped down from the right arm of the mecha, supported by the huge and ferocious insect body.
He did not care about the War Bugs, the "cannon fodder" soldiers who served as the vanguard, but instead used the jet force to lightly pass through the slaughter field where both sides were temporarily stuck!
Under the cover of the Dark Flame mecha's deliberate firepower attraction, this powerful and almost arrogant imperial alpha headed straight for the 'nest heart' where the Zerg Queen was with a clear purpose!
At this moment, he is no longer the cold and restrained ruler, but a pure killer.
Under the helmet of the skeleton armor, Fitzgerald's mental link with An Yan was in sync. The red-haired alpha's cold and ruthless gray eyes reflected the flickering light of data. While taking action, he still devoted one-third of his attention to maintaining remote control and cooperation with An Yan.
If infiltrating the insect domain relied on mankind's thousands of years of profound understanding of the old enemy, the Zerg, and breaking through the three defense lines of the inner nest relied entirely on the intuition and "speed" gained from thousands of battles, as well as relying on the power and excellence of the Dark Flame Mecha, which was the result of generations of hard work by the Empire's engineers. Then, next, he would face the most elite combat force of the "Zerg Queen", the seventh-level "King Bug" and its subordinates.
The only one he can rely on is himself.
Here we go...
He must break through the first barrier of the entrance to the 'Nest Heart', the first line of defense guarded by the seventh-level 'Flying Dragon'.