Vol 14: Chapter 10-2.
Zheng connected to the scan. He saw the masked area approaching with a pack of bugs following closely behind. These bugs were planning to use the tanker bug as a shield to block the bullets. But why was there a need to mask the location?“Simple. The most probable cause is the tanker bug has flaw that will be exposed upon being attacked or moving differently. The second probability is the tanker bug is a kamikaze but no one would have their own troops following that.” Xuan said calmly.
Zheng nodded and said. “Xuan, send two groups of troopers over. If we suffer from big casualties, have these troopers enter the battle immediately. WangXia, use the tactical nukes as soon as you can see the tanker bug. Ignore the other bugs for now. The probability is low but we can’t let it come close in case it is actually a kamikaze bug.”
WangXia looked through the infrared binocular. On the foot of the mountain was a shadowy figure moving toward them slowly. Countless bugs followed closely behind. The amount of bugs would put even Zheng in danger unless he runs away with the Sky Stick.
WangXia readied the tactical nuke on his shoulder. His eyes fixed down at the road. He could see about 2km in distance after the enhancement from dragon blood. However, this range was not the best to fire the tactical nuke. The tanker bug entered his vision. His shoulder adjusted for a bit then he quieted down. The years of training in the special forces gave him a calming mentality. As the tanker bug moved in another 500 meters, he took a deep breath then pulled the trigger.
The tactical nuke lopped down right at the front of the tanker bug, in between its pincers. A brilliant flash of light followed by a loud thump and mushroom cloud. A ball of fire enclosed several hundred metes in diameter.
The troopers on the battlefield cheered. Every little victory was a step toward staying alive in the current situation. Every victory was a raise in morale. Of course, that was under the assumption that it was actually a victory.
The ball of fire was dying down and exposed a blue field in the center. The field covered a large area. It moved out from the remaining fire. Everyone was shocked to see the tanker bug intact. Its exoskeleton flipped open, releasing a blue gas that formed the field. This was obviously a barrier that blocked the tactical nuke.
The tanker bug continued moving forward. Its exoskeleton closed and the blue barrier disappeared. A lot of the bugs behind it were killed by the tactical nuke, but many more simply came up to take their place.
“F*ck. Is this even a bug anymore? Do bugs have barriers?” Zheng murmured. He could only watch as the tanker bug moving closer and closer. 1400 meters, 1300 meters. The timer on their remaining lives were ticking with each step. The troopers were fighting out of their minds that they had forgotten any orders. Everyone fired at the bug without conservation. Yet, bullets only caused sparks on its exoskeleton. It didn’t even need to use the barrier.
Zheng was still in his unlocked mode. Multiple tactics came to his mind, the best being using his Tiger's Soul but that was just what he couldn’t do. The second tactic was multiple tactical nukes at once. All barriers had a limit. But that would consume their tactical nukes too fast.
(Its exoskeleton can block bullets so it must be extremely tough. The barrier can block off any explosions.)
Zheng took out the bandages from his ring then said to WangXia. “Fire the tactical nuke at my signal. It can’t be early nor late. I am just testing but there should be a high chance of success.”
He picked up the jungle spider leg from the ground and attached a grenade to it. This reminded him of Alien where he attached grenades to a steel bar. After so long, he used this method once again.
Once all was set, Zheng took a deep breath and stood up. The tanker bug bug was at the 1000-meter mark by now. The troopers were still shooting nonstop.
Zheng aimed the leg at the tanker bug. Then he pulled the ring on the grenade and threw it out. Half a second later, he yelled. “Fire!”
WangXia had already aimed at the tanker bug. He pulled the trigger the instant he heard the yell. The tactical nuke followed closely behind the jungle spider leg. As the tactical nuke came to 10 meters away from the bug, it opened up the exoskeleton. The blue barrier blocked the tactical nuke but that jungle spider leg was already inside the barrier at this point.
That was all Zheng could see. The brilliant flash made him closed his eyes. He felt like he was blinded since he was focusing so intensely at the tanker bug. His eyes were painful and he couldn’t see anything. Fortunately, the psyche scan sent him the image of the area. The tanker bug inside the ball of fire was blown to pieces. The other team had turned off the mask.
WangXia saw tears coming from Zheng’s eyes and immediately opened his eyelids. “Good, not a big issue. The army doctor has eye drops for intense flashes. Don’t open your eyes for ten minutes afterward. Your body is much more resilient than normal people so this isn’t a big problem.”
Zheng nodded and patted WangXia’s shoulder. “Got that tanker bug. Freaking 1000 points and a rank D reward. We can farm to our hearts content if they send in a few more. Haha.”
WangXia smiled bitterly. “There isn’t time to make more of those grenades and not enough regular grenades. We also might not coordinate so well next time. Failure means death so we are better off not taking the risk.”
“Haha, risk equals rewards. Anyway, we made it through this wave.”
Zheng walked back to the camps. The troopers finally cheered when they didn’t see the barrier coming out of the fire. Some even threw the helmets up. Kampa stood their breathing deeply. The moving fortress almost collapsed this army mentally.
“If we are going to die, it won’t be today! Because we are giving all we have! We won’t die here! The front line back off. Second group take their place. Continue shooting!”
Zheng faced toward the road with his eyes closed. The death of the tanker bug also broke free of the limitation put on the bugs’ speed. Countless bugs charged up the mountain. The second group fired their rifles at Zheng’s command.