Chapter 69: Chuyuan Star Battlefield 2
The wind and sand from Mingshaxing hit the roof of the temporary evacuation area, making a crackling sound, as if it was beating the prelude to the upcoming tough battle.
The 61 Red Shadow Guides in the tent are waiting for assignment.
Sun Yun stood in front of the whiteboard, her highlighter marking the list, her voice clear and steady:
"This mission is divided into three groups, each with their own responsibilities, and no one can go wrong."
The pen tip landed on the top of the whiteboard: "Group one, main counseling room, 10 people in total."
She pointed to three guides with professional experience, and the guides who had just come from the White Tower were also left behind.
"I'll lead the team and be responsible for overall monitoring, evacuating the seriously injured, and maintaining equipment. We're the backup, and we must eliminate any abnormal data at the source."
The nine people took the order, and Zhou Wenwen, as Sun Yun's right-hand man, also stayed. At Sun Yun's glance, he took the initiative to lead the eight people into their work positions.
"The second group, the mobile support team, 38 people." Sun Yun's pen tip moved downwards, drawing two branches.
Guide Wang led 13 people to cooperate with the mecha team to prevent the iron-eating insects from biting the mechas;
The 15 people led by Zhang the Guide were to assist in the attack and quickly replenish the sentinels' energy.
The remaining 10 people were led by Guide Zhao to carry out emergency maneuvers. The hovercraft was on standby at all times, ready to rush to wherever there was an emergency.
This is a temporary grouping plan for the 38 people. What the final result will look like will depend entirely on the Red Shadow Sentinel's combat plan later.
Finally, Sun Yun's gaze fell on the bottom of the whiteboard, and she tapped her pen heavily: "The third group, the frontline vanguard group, 15 people."
There was silence in the tent for a moment.
Everyone knows what the vanguard group means. They are closest to the Gu Yin Worm and face its sound waves directly. They are the most dangerous place in the entire drainage system.
She looked at the guides present, but Lin Yao was not there.
She opened the tent and saw Lin Yao moving the detector not far away.
Sun Yun returned to the tent and gave the fourteen guides of the vanguard group many instructions, finally:
"The one who brought you here is Lin Yao. He's moving the equipment. He'll come over to meet you guys later."
As they were talking, Lin Yao came in, and Sun Yun mentioned the grouping issue to him.
He then introduced the fourteen people to him and handed him the sentinel's data.
When Lin Yao was guiding the Red Shadow First Army, he was already familiar with their mental power.
But this time the Third and Fourth Armies also joined, so Lin Yao had to familiarize himself with the new sentinel data.
The team members who had just finished introducing themselves dispersed into small circles, and the air was filled with a bit of politeness from a first acquaintance.
Lin Yao stood in the corner, his fingertips running across the list of sentries on the data board, marking the mental strength baselines that needed special attention, when suddenly two low voices floated from behind him.
"Hey, Sister Zheng," Xiao Zhou's voice was a little uncertain, "Did you hear Team Lin's name when he introduced himself?"
Zheng Jieyu was adjusting her wrist communicator. Upon hearing this, she hummed and frowned.
"I seem to have heard the name Lin Yao somewhere before?"
Xiao Zhou glanced in Lin Yao's direction and saw that he was concentrating on looking at the data. He lowered his voice even more:
"I just thought it was familiar! I thought for a long time, is it the one...who is engaged to the Marshal?"
With a "click", Zhao Ke's fingers paused on the communicator, his eyes suddenly widened, and then he lowered his voice:
"Now that you mention it, I remember! Yes, it's him!"
Zheng Jieyu smacked her lips, with an indescribable meaning in her tone.
"I didn't expect him to lead the team... Come to think of it, I've never heard of him having any impressive achievements. Can he really do it?"
"Who knows?" Xiao Zhou scratched his head, a hint of grumbling in his voice, "Our group is going to rush to the periphery with the vanguard battalion, what if..."
"Speak less." Guide Li next to him gently bumped into Zheng Jieyu and signaled towards Lin Yao.
"In Chiying, if you don't have the ability, you can't stand. Since it was Sister Sun who chose you, there must be a reason."
Zheng Jieyu curled her lips and said nothing more, but her disapproval was clearly written on her face.
Xiao Zhou also lowered his head, but he felt like there was a grain of sand in his heart, which made him feel a little uncomfortable.
It’s not that he didn’t believe it, but the title of “Marshal’s engagement partner” was too eye-catching, and he couldn’t help but think that it was “relying on connections”.
Lin Yao's fingertips paused on the data board.
The wind carried the whispers into his ears. He didn't look back, but just marked the points carefully to confirm.
Just at this moment, Sun Yun came in, holding the instructions she had just received. She swept her eyes across the tent and finally landed on Lin Yao, her tone firm:
"Are you all ready? I'm confident that Lin Yao will lead your team."
Her words were like a small stone, creating ripples among the guides.
Zheng Jieyu opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but Sun Yun glanced back at her, so she had to swallow her words.
"Just received an order to temporarily incorporate the vanguard battalion into the cleanup team to immediately eliminate the outer insect swarms."
Sun Yun raised the command in her hand.
"You don't need to set up barriers in advance for now, just follow the sentries and provide real-time assistance.
Lin Yao, take them with you."
"Yes." Lin Yao responded, holding the data tablet in his hand, and then said to the fourteen people:
"Come here, sync the data."
Although Xiao Zhou and the others did not believe Lin Yao, in the face of the war, everyone still maintained a positive attitude and gathered around to synchronize data.
Sun Yun saw the doubt in their eyes and suddenly said, "In Chiying, the most important thing is to obey orders.
Follow Lin Yao, work hard, and don't embarrass Chiying's guide."
-
Lin Yaogang led the 15 members of the vanguard group out of the temporary evacuation area and saw guide Wang waving at him on the sand not far away.
Lin Yao walked over, but before he even got there, Guide Wang's words reached his ears: "Captain Lin, we've been waiting for you for ages!"
Guide Wang came forward with big strides, his boots making a creaking sound as they rolled over the quartz sofa.
"Sister Sun just sent a message asking my team to temporarily cooperate with yours."
Brother Wang raised the communicator in his hand, and the latest instructions were still on the light screen.
Just as the three armies were gathering, the location of the Gu Yin Bug was refreshed.
The two in the northwest and southeast moved, and the two were almost together, but the one in the northeast was alone behind the sand ridge, far away.
The original plan of killing one in a group was obviously not feasible, as the two together would be much more powerful than just one.
Therefore, the command center just revised the combat plan, and the three corps first worked together to knock out the lone one in the northeast, and then turned back to deal with the other two.
What they have to do now is to clear out the outermost swarm of the Guyin insects in the Northeast and the insect eggs on the ground and underground.
Cut off its support as much as possible to avoid being tripped by these insects when fighting it.
Because of the change in the legion's combat plan, Sun Yun's previous plan also changed.
Lin Yao nodded and gestured for Guide Wang to walk while he said, "How exactly do we divide it?"
"Sister Sun's idea is that our four teams split into two groups, rotating day and night."
Guide Wang clicked on the insect egg distribution map and drew a line on it with his fingertips.
"The team we lead will follow the Red Shadow Cleanup Team to clear the insect swarms in this sand valley, and keep an eye on the rot beetle eggs buried under the sand.
Those bugs hid deep, so they were not missed by the sentinels during the sweep;
The team led by Zhao Dao and his team worked together to deal with the springtail eggs on the surface.
The smell of the fire team burning the eggs is overwhelming, and we need the guide to hold the barrier steady."
Lin Yao stared at the red dot on the light screen, his fingertips sliding quickly across the data pad.
In other words, their assistance range needs to be expanded?
Not only do you have to follow the sentries closely to clear out the insects, you also have to cooperate in dealing with the insect eggs!
This task is a bit heavy, Lin Yao thought so and said so.
Guide Wang pointed to the tent with the White Tiger emblem over there:
"Don't worry, we are not the only ones who take on this task.
Clearing the periphery is not just a one-person job, Baihu and Feiyu are also there.
The support of the Guyinchong is getting better and better, so no one can have an easy time.
We just need to keep an eye on Chiying's sentinels."
This reassured Lin Yao, and he quickened his pace: "Yes, let's do the task first."
-
The closer they got to the assembly area, the stronger the wind and sand became. It was all sand and gravel stirred up by the mecha engines, hitting their clothes with crackling sounds.
When Lin Yao and his companions arrived, the silver-gray Red Shadow Mecha and the golden White Tiger Mecha formed two straight steel walls on the sand.
The muzzles of the guns were all pointed obliquely towards the sky, the armor plates shone coldly and hard in the sunlight, and even the shadows were neatly arranged.
The sentries were lined up in a square formation, with their shoulders level. No one was talking to each other, except for the occasional low voice of equipment checks: "Fasten your armor."
Mixed with the sound of the engine running, it reveals a discipline that leaves no room for error.
For this mission, Chiying sent out sentries from the First and Third Armies, who were replaced every three hours, day and night.
Their guide also needs to be there at all times. Lin Yao and Guide Wang have discussed it.
There are two teams, each responsible for 12 hours, and as captains, they must be there all the time.
So Lin Yao divided his guides, except himself, into four groups, so that they could rotate with the sentries.
The sentinel captain of Chiying waved at them from a distance. When Lin Yao approached, he found that it was Zhao Ke.
The two exchanged pleasantries while Lin Yao was giving instructions to the four guides who followed him.
Lin Yao walked towards a young sentry. The sentry who caught his eye was tall and thin and particularly conspicuous.
He stood straight, but he kept clenching his hands unconsciously, and even the straps of his helmet were tied half an inch crookedly.
The young sentry looked up suddenly when he saw someone coming. He couldn't hide the nervousness in his eyes and rubbed his palms on his combat uniform again and again.
"Comrade Xiang, Comrade Guide?" His voice was still a little shaky.
"I'm Lin Yao. This round, I'm following your mecha." Lin Yao took out a data pad. "What's the number?"
There are 100 sentinels in a group to clear out the Zerg. The guide's mental power can cover multiple sentinels, which depends on the level of mental power.
According to the guide level of this round with Lin Yao, he was the first to claim the assistance of 50 sentinels.
As for the rest, let the four claim them according to their levels.
"Red Shadow Team Three, No. 37, Chen, Chen Yang." The sentry's voice became more urgent.
"I, I've just been in the army for three months, and this is my first time on a perimeter clearing operation..."
Lin Yao didn't say anything, just clicked on his file.
Most of the soldiers Lin Yao selected were sentries who had been in the army for less than a year.
Typical recruit stats, not bad, but can't withstand high-intensity impact.
It's good to do such a task, as it can gain experience and the risk factor is not that high.
Lin Yao smiled and motioned him to get on the mecha first. After all, this was a sentinel mecha, and Lin Yao didn't want to take the lead.
Chen Yang said "oh" before getting into the cockpit. When he sat down, his knees hit the control panel with a dull "bang" sound, and his face turned red instantly.
Lin Yao watched him stiffly fasten his seat belt, and suddenly remembered that he was also in a panic when he first got on a mecha.
"Don't be nervous." Lin Yao comforted him, and Shasha poked his head out from his sleeve.
"My mental power will be synchronized with yours. If the barrier is cracked, I can repair it. If your mental power is lost, I can support it. You just focus on killing the bugs."
Lin Yao also gave the same words to the other 49 sentinels under his charge.
Chen Yang's shoulders relaxed a bit. He tested the joystick with his fingertips, still feeling a little unsure: "Lin, Guide Lin, if I fall behind..."
"I can't delay it." Lin Yao interrupted him, and the monitor screen lit up.
"You see, your fluctuations are very stable, but you just need a reassurance. I am your reassurance."
At this time, a whistle sounded and the mecha group began to move.
Mecha No. 37 started up following the queue. Chen Yang pushed the joystick hard and the mecha almost hit No. 09 in front of it, scaring him so much that he screamed "Ah".
Lin Yao was quick-eyed and quick-handed. He tapped the auxiliary control panel with his fingertips. Ice-blue light instantly flooded into the system, and the mecha turned steadily.
"Slow down," Lin Yao's voice was steady. "The insect swarm is on the sand ridge ahead. Let's stay close to the main force."
Chen Yang took a deep breath, quickly adjusted his mentality, and did not make any more mistakes.
He glanced at Lin Yao secretly.
The other person was staring at the monitor, his fingertips tapping along the undulations of the curves. The vines swayed in the air, and he felt an indescribable sense of security.
In the distance, the hissing of the insect swarm was getting closer and closer. Some sentinels had already rushed forward, and the crisp sound of knives splitting insect shells mixed with the hum of mechas could be heard.
Shasha patted Chen Yang's shoulder, and Lin Yao said calmly: "Here it comes, hold steady."
Chen Yang gripped the joystick tightly, and the muzzle of Mecha No. 37 slowly raised.
On Lin Yao's monitor, the curve that symbolized the sentinel's mental power changed, but it was always held firmly without any disturbance.
-
By 6 p.m., the clearing sentries had already rotated three times.
The setting sun dyed the sand valley into molten gold. The afternoon wind was a little tired, causing the heat sink of the mecha to make a slight "humming" sound.
At the assembly point, the third round of sentries had just withdrawn.
Someone was leaning against the mecha to drink water. The sound of his Adam's apple rolling mixed with the crackling sound of burning insect eggs in the distance, revealing a kind of temporary relief and calm.
Lin Yao sat on a large rock, his fingertips sliding across the data panel.
On the light screen, green dots representing the clearing of the insect swarm were densely packed, like a handful of green beans, spreading from the sand ridge to the large depression below.
The effect is indeed good, nearly 20% faster than expected.
But he couldn't help but glance towards the northeast.
There is a solitary red dot there, marked with "Guyin Worm".
From morning till now, its position has not moved at all, and even the energy fluctuation curve is as flat as a dead line.
"Captain Lin, the fourth round of sentries is about to arrive." Jie Yu came over with a laptop and spoke to him.
Seeing him staring at the screen in a daze, I asked casually,
"What are you looking at? Isn't this Zerg distribution map pretty good? How fast can we clear them out?"
Lin Yao didn't look up, but pointed his finger at the red dot and said, "Look at the Gu Yin Bug."
Jieyu came over and scratched his head: "No movement, that's good, it saves us from being on guard."
"Not good." Lin Yao frowned even more tightly.
The Guyin insect is the most sensitive thing.
How loud was the mopping-up noise? The roar of mechas, the roar of cannons, the hissing of insects should have alarmed it long ago.
According to common sense, even if it doesn't rush out, it should make that high-frequency hissing sound.
He paused, and used his fingertips to pull up the Guyin insect's habit file on the panel.
This insect has a very low threshold for responding to sound wave vibrations. Even a distant explosion will make it restless for two hours.
But today...
They were left to fiddle around with it for nine hours, with no response.
Jieyu finally realized what was happening, and the relaxed look on his face faded a little: "It's a bit strange... Could he have fallen asleep?"
After he said it, he felt that it was wrong and shut up awkwardly.
"It's really weird. I detected a faint energy fluctuation when I was locating it this morning, but now... it's like it's dead."
The fourth round of sentries responsible for the clearing have arrived, and the person who spoke was Huang Yu, someone Lin Yao knew.
Seeing that it was an acquaintance, Lin Yao greeted him and then continued: "It would be better if he died."
Lin Yao slid his fingertips across the panel, zooming in on the terrain around the red dot. This thing was hidden in a cave fifty meters underground. What if...
There must be something wrong when things are abnormal, especially this kind of insect that uses "disturbing the mind" as a weapon. The longer it stays quiet, the louder the noise it may make.
The roar of mecha engines could be heard outside the tent, and the fourth round of sentinels was about to set off.
Lin Yao stood up and walked towards the mecha, but he still felt something was wrong, so he sent a message to Ye Heng using his optical computer. There was something really wrong with this Gu Yin insect.
-
At this moment in the command center, a set of cold data was jumping on the light screen.
"The detection results are out." The technician pushed up his glasses, his voice a little unbelievable.
"The energy fluctuation is zero, and the vital signs of the Guyin insect in the northeast have disappeared."
Ye Heng tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, his eyes falling on the red dot representing the Gu Yin insect.
An hour ago, the monitor first detected an anomaly.
The energy field in that area was eerily calm, as if it had been completely drained away by something.
They changed three detectors in succession and measured the cave 50 meters underground from different angles. The results were exactly the same:
There were no high-frequency vibrations, no mental interference waves, and even the most basic bioelectric currents of insects disappeared.
"Dead?" Yun Ling stood nearby, frowning slightly. "The Guyin insect has a very strong vitality, unless..."
Before he could finish his words, Ye Heng's computer made a "ding" sound.
He turned on the light brain and Lin Yao's message popped up.
Yun Ling leaned over to take a look and couldn't help but laugh: "He's quite perceptive. He sensed something was wrong just after we confirmed it."
Ye Heng paused on the message, a barely perceptible softness flashed across his eyes, and then he replied:
[The Guyin insect in the northeast appears to have lost vital signs. Command is conducting final verification. The fourth round of clearing has been suspended. All Red Shadow sentries remain at the assembly area and on standby.]
After sending it, he looked up at Yun Ling:
"Notify everyone to suspend all operations and confirm one last time whether that thing is truly dead."
"Understood." Yun Ling took the communicator and ordered Feiyu's clearing team to stop, and the same thing happened on Canglie's side.
Just as he was about to get on the mecha, Lin Yao's light brain vibrated.
Seeing Ye Heng's reply, his tense shoulders relaxed slightly.
Suspected of losing vital signs? How could such a powerful insect just disappear like that?
"Captain Lin?" Jie Yu had already climbed onto the hatch of the mecha. Seeing him standing still, he leaned over and asked.
Lin Yao came back to his senses and raised his hand to signal everyone to stop: "Everyone, get down!"
The voice carried through the communicator throughout the team, with undeniable force, "Everyone Red Shadow, shut down your mechas and stand by!"
Although the sentries were surprised, their actions were not vague.
The foot that had just stepped onto the hatch was retracted, and the engine that was starting stopped with a "click". The silver-gray mecha group was like suddenly solidified water.
Jaune ran over, helmet tucked under his arm, "What's going on?"
"Command from headquarters." Lin Yao handed him the laptop. "Something's wrong with the Guyin insects. Suspend the cleanup and retreat."
Huang Yu's brows knitted into knots after reading it:
"No vital signs? This bug is really weird. Is it pretending to be dead?"
"Who knows?" Lin Yao looked towards the northeast. The sand valley in the twilight looked like a bottomless chasm. "Follow orders first."
Just as he finished speaking, a voice from the White Tiger Legion came from afar. It was their guide captain: "Captain Lin, have you received the command from headquarters? Stay where you are."
"Got it, let's synchronize the actions." Lin Yao responded.
Soon, the roar of the engines of the golden White Tiger mecha group gradually subsided, and in the end, only the rustling sound of wind and sand passing through the armor plates remained.
The vast assembly area fell silent in an instant.
Jieyu squatted on the sand, poking the mecha's tracks with his fingers: "It's a bit strange that it stops so suddenly."
Lin Yao didn't respond, but just turned on the monitor.
On the light screen, the red dot representing the Gu Yin insect was still shining alone in its original place, like a blood bead embedded in the twilight.
The wind suddenly stopped for a moment, and even the sound of sand falling to the ground could be heard.
Lin Yao's fingertips tapped his bare head unconsciously, but the uneasiness in his heart did not disappear.
Instead, it's getting worse and worse. It's too quiet.
The mecha stopped working, the insects stopped chirping, and even the crackling sound of burning insect eggs in the distance faded.
This silence doesn't feel like a breath, but more like holding your breath before a storm.
He looked up at the horizon. The last ray of sunset was sinking into the end of the sand valley, dyeing the crack a dark blood color.
Shasha poked out from his sleeve, the ice blue color shining particularly clearly in the twilight, like a taut string.
-
Lin Yao looked at Shasha's vines that were stretched straight, and was about to tease him, "Why are you more nervous than me?"
Suddenly, there was a sharp pain. It was not a physical pain, but a high-frequency vibration coming from the mental connection, like a thin needle drilling into the brain along the nerves.
This vibration is all too familiar.
It is the frequency that can resonate with the Zerg after the skill of killing and devouring the evolved Brood Zerg is used.
At this moment, the vibration carried an obvious aura of the same clan, and the source was clearly the Guyin insect.
But the direction is wrong.
Lin Yao turned his head suddenly, his eyes not fixed on the red dot in the northeastern sand valley, but on the military base camp behind him.
"Kill, kill, locate!" Lin Yao shouted, his fingertips clenched white.
The icy blue light suddenly surged, and the vibrations in the link became increasingly clear, carrying a dull humming sound before breaking through the ground. It was about 10 meters away from the ground...
Less than a hundred meters!
He hurriedly turned on the monitor, and the screen was still peaceful, with the three Guyin insects still in place.
There wasn't even a trace of energy fluctuation in the area of the tri-army base camp; it was eerily clean.
"Hide skill..." Lin Yao figured it out instantly.
It's not that the monitor is broken, it's that this Guyin insect has the ability to hide and block all signals.
The "quiet" Gu sound before was probably just a cover from the beginning!
According to the information Shasha fed back, the place where the Guyin insects broke out of the ground was the command center.
"Everyone get on the mecha! Get ready for combat!" Lin Yao rushed towards the base camp, leaving his roar at the assembly point.
The Red Shadow Guide and the sentinels executed the order instantly out of trust in Lin Yao.
Lin Yao, who covered himself with bright green energy, was approaching the command center at a rapid speed.
In Shasha's perception, the vibration of the Gu Yin Bug had turned into a manic roar.
It "told" Lin Yao: The target command center is only thirty meters away from the ground.
Lin Yao tapped his fingertips randomly on the optical computer, and the "beeping" sound of the communication request was like a death warrant.
Finally, Ye Heng's face appeared on the screen, with the familiar star map from the command center in the background. He was about to say something when he was interrupted by Lin Yao's roar:
"Ye Heng! Run! Take everyone and run! Don't stay in the command center!" Lin Yao's voice was split, urgent and hoarse:
"Underground! The Gu-sounding insect is underground! It's coming out! It's right under the command center! Quick--!"
Ye Heng's face on the screen suddenly changed. Without saying a word, he grabbed the controller on the table and shouted behind him, "Everyone evacuate! Emergency evacuation of the command center! Quick!"
Ye Heng did not evacuate immediately, but let those people go first. His eyes were not on the screen, but he asked Lin Yao hurriedly:
"How long?"
“Three seconds!”
Lin Yao could already see the command center building undulating slightly on the sand, like prey being targeted by a giant beast.
"Ye Heng! Run!"
Before he could finish his words, the sand beneath his feet suddenly shook violently, the command center suddenly bulged upwards, and the sound of something being torn apart mixed with the sentinels' screams exploded.
A harsh noise came from Lin Yao's communicator, and Ye Heng's figure flashed on the screen before being swallowed up by a chaotic light and shadow.
“Ye Heng——!”
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