Chapter 73: 073 Fierce Battle

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[Successfully intercepted a fast-moving aerial target; light firearms proficiency experience +2.]

[You have intercepted a spore mine, "Side Mission—Air Raid Defense" progress 8/10.]

Bai E, who had just blasted a spore mine out of the air before it could land, hadn't had time to rejoice when he heard a fine noise, different from the previous grand and terrifying sound, echoing in his mind.

Realizing what this meant, Bai E turned in shock to meet the malicious eyes of five mantis bugs rushing at him from all directions.

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"Vanguard Fourth Squadron, attention! Vanguard Fourth Squadron, attention! An emergency has arisen, five mantis bugs are charging our formation. Reserve squadrons and special team members, be ready to reinforce at any moment!"

The command from the rear command center blared out of numerous speakers. Upon hearing the voice in their headsets, all members of the three special squads in charge of the Fourth Squadron looked towards the frontline.

The five mantis bugs that had launched consecutive attacks were now fast approaching the frontline, which was already in a critical situation under the cover of the dispersed low-level bug horde.

"Squeak!"

The barrels of several main battle tanks began to move urgently as they tried to lock onto the targets.

"Dadadadadada!"

The vehicle-mounted heavy machine guns, disregarding their heated barrels, roared with steel as they locked onto their targets.

If these five mantis bugs were allowed to break through the lines, this battle zone would be lost in an instant, and the repercussions for the entire battlefront under the radiative fallout were unimaginable!

However, these elite members of the Bug Race, though large, also possessed a remarkable degree of agility. The tanks' heavy cannons could certainly pose a significant threat to them, but locking on wasn't easy.

It was a time when the rich experience of the tank gunners and their coordination with each other could lead to a successful hit through cross-targeting.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

The armor-piercing and concussion grenades, trailing slightly different colored flames, roared out violently. A mantis bug that was hit by an armor-piercing round on its right side was flung into the air by the tremendous force; the concussion grenade that missed still managed to cause considerable damage among the horde.

One!

The mantis bug that was hit had a strong will to live and struggled to get up, but it no longer posed much of a threat.

The invigorated gunner quickly swung the barrel around, aiming for the next ferocious beast!

"Bang!"

Triple crown.

The mantis bug that was simultaneously hit by an armor-piercing round and a concussion grenade turned into dust on the spot, exploding in a shower of blood and gore.

Two!

"Boom!"

The counterattack from the Bug Race was swift and fierce, not even allowing the soldiers a moment of exhilaration.

The pale blue traces of light only left a fleeting remnant in the humans' retinas before one of the tanks that had achieved two hits was instantly torn apart in a violent explosion, its residual electric currents shredding everything nearby, incinerating the infantry guarding the tank as well as the flying bugs trying to infiltrate it.

The focused firepower on the mantis bugs consequently left the already precarious front line vulnerable to being rapidly breached by the Bug Race.

Humans were the aggressors, but the bugs also fought with mad ferocity.

The firepower meant to block the mantis bugs was also designed to resist the push of the bug swarm. Between the two sides was a delicate balance; the frontline that relied on the tanks as its first line of defense was instantly overrun by the bugs.

The triumphant bugs crawled over the bodies of their kin, climbing atop the tanks and armored vehicles. The armored units, swarming with bugs, now resembled corpses of insects covered in ants. The situation was dire.

What was more terrifying was that the remaining three mantis bugs had, with the invading swarm, broken through the line of defense!

"Push forward!"

Mo, the captain of the special squad familiar with the tiger, slung a heavy belt of ammunition over his shoulder and patted the metal beneath him as he ordered the soldier driving the armored personnel carrier.

"Yes, sir!" With an unflinching expression, the soldier floored the accelerator, charging fearlessly towards the reaper wielding pale bone blades.

Tiger activated the diesel engine he had been carrying all along...

"Buzz~ Buzz~ Buzz~"

The high-speed rotating chainsaw, like a giant sword, shrieked with the high-frequency vibration; its serrated edge blurred into a straight line.

"Retake the tank!"

The Bug Race's attacks mostly targeted humans, except for the artillery bugs at the rear, as the symbiotic weapons of the assaulting bugs weren't enough to threaten the thicker armor of the tanks.

Thus, the reason for the loss of combat effectiveness of the armored vehicles often laid in the death of the soldiers operating them.

As long as they could recapture those tanks submerged by the bugs, there was still a chance to stabilize the situation!

It might be difficult, but the strong ought to do the impossible. That was the very duty of their special squad in the battle formation!

An unexpected turn of events caused the situation nearby to heat up in an instant.

Confronted by the cold, bloodthirsty desire of the bugs against the heated counterattack of humanity, Bai E felt as if everything around him was rapidly moving forward.

Reinforcements arrived from all directions towards the front line to cope with the increasingly turbulent bug tide, and the elite Mecha of the armored battalion, which had been on standby, also stepped forward with heavy strides.

Testing? Attrition?

Maybe it was happening, maybe not.

With the Bug Race, there was no war of attrition, yet every battle could be considered as such; no final battle, yet every battle could be the final one.

From the moment the mantis bugs entered the fray, the war had blown the trumpet for a decisive victory.

Bai E, caught in the midst of it, felt a sudden shock of astonishment rise within him.

He realized—despite the fierce firepower of humanity and the bravery of the soldiers, the level of the war... was perhaps too low?

Even the society he came from before traveling to this world, if a final war erupted between two superpowers, the level would certainly not be just this.

The level of wartime technology... didn't match the stage where artificial human technology was pointed out.

Could it be that the potential development of the human body was holding back the advancement of technology?

It was a fleeting thought. Bai E shook his head to clear these notions, as the pinnacle of world technology was far removed from himself and what was urgent was how to endure the current situation.

The target of the bugs... was me!

"Swish!"

A blade moving faster than the speed of sound cut through the infantry vehicle, and the top half of the mounted heavy machine gun was unbelievably sliced into two.

To overcome the barriers, this mantis bug had exerted all its strength.

Bai E unbuttoned his combat suit's chest pocket and took out a strip of chewing gum, swallowing it in two or three bites.

After the commendation ceremony last night, Carlos had slipped him a bunch, probably for him to deal with moments like this.

Facing the eyes of the nearest mantis bug, filled with bloodlust, Bai E, now feeling his reserve strength brimming, cracked a smirk.

I've killed one of your kind before!

[Gun Fighting Skill, activate!]

"Brother!"

"Bai!"

Soldiers from all around cried out in alarm. Compared to facing the mantis bugs head-on, they felt it was more cost-effective to let Bai E act as a human anti-aircraft gun.

"Tss~"

Ignoring the cries of alarm filling his ears, Bai E swiftly side-rolled, narrowly avoiding the long-range attack launched from the connecting point of the mantis bug's blade—

the Corrupting Gun.

The mantis bug from yesterday did not have a chance to use it, but Bai E certainly hadn't forgotten about this capability.

He didn't need to be faster than the ballistics of the worms' spitfire, just quicker than the decision-making time of the mantis bugs, that was enough!

Perhaps the battle from yesterday had awakened the ferocity within Bai E's bloodline, or maybe the latent trait "Bloodlust Instinct" was affecting his decision-making process, or perhaps it was the sacrifice of his comrades that Bai E couldn't bear to witness.

He didn't want to understand these things, nor was he willing to suppress everything with self-restraint.

Right now, Bai E just felt...

His body was somewhat agitated!