The flying machines zipped over the sand dunes. Countless mechanical spiders scuttled into several underground tunnels. Explosions echoed throughout the desert. Human soldiers poured military supplies into underground passages that were one hundred to two hundred meters deep, while technicians continuously linked new drone groups to their control terminals.
The battlefield was divided into three layers. The outer forces were responsible for blowing up any new underground paths that might appear, while the main firepower in the center waited to eliminate the blade beasts that charged up from below. The entrances and exits of the tunnels were the most dangerous combat zones, where the drones primarily fought.
Daoist Wang sat comfortably in the command vehicle, carefully observing the battlefield and the human commanders up close. This was an unprecedented experience for him. Dongfang Zhenghong’s eyes were calm and deep, showing no emotional fluctuations as he issued precise combat orders.
Wu Man sat in a wheelchair, pushed by Zhou Zhengde, and was brought beside Dongfang Zhenghong. Dongfang Zhenghong asked, “Are you ready?”
“Mm,” Wu Man nodded gently.
“Activate the amplifier, adjust the frequency, and confirm the underground transmission range.”
“The amplifier is functioning normally.”
“The underground paths have been confirmed.”
Dongfang Zhenghong looked at Wu Man, his voice softening a bit. “Try to lure them out.”
Daoist Wang had already checked his backpack and prepared as many mini high-explosive grenades as possible for his tactical vest. These things worked quite well when stuffed into the mouths of blade beasts.
Wu Man put on a helmet handed to him by a nearby technician, took a few deep breaths, and slowly closed his eyes. His youthful face took on a more sacred look. He intertwined his fingers as if in prayer, softly humming.
Wang Jixuan immediately sensed the surge of spiritual power from Wu Man.
A few minutes later, shouts erupted around them.
“The underground insect swarm is starting to move!”
“The marked swarms 13 to 16 and 23 to 28 are on the move! That’s one-sixth of the total blade beast group, charging along the path we reserved!”
Images of the moving blade beasts appeared on the projection screen, rolling or crawling through the solid tunnels that were three to four meters wide.
Outside the command vehicle, the desert was filled with smoke and flames as the buried explosives detonated, and the human army began to unleash their firepower.
The ground trembled slightly, and many sand dunes showed signs of collapse. The sounds of explosions came a moment later, the shockwaves turning into gusts of wind.
Minutes later, around seven to eight thousand blade beasts surged out of the ground, facing the human firepower that had been waiting for them!
This wave of blade beasts, which were few in number and came out one after another, was like a gift for the soldiers to rack up achievements.
Dongfang Zhenghong remained calm, staring at the sand table in front of him, not glancing at the outside chaos.
About ten minutes later, a voice came from the command vehicle: “The first wave of blade beasts has been eliminated.”
“Replenish firepower,” Dongfang Zhenghong ordered again, then turned to Wu Man.
Wu Man nodded, “I can send messages again, probably three more times before I fall unconscious.”
“Rest for fifteen minutes,” Dongfang Zhenghong commanded over the intercom. “Fifteen minutes for preparation.”
“Wu Man?”
“Sir!”
Wu Man immediately turned, his electric wheelchair rotating halfway to look at Wang Jixuan in the corner.
Daoist Wang waved him over, and Wu Man quickly approached.
“What’s wrong, sir?” Wu Man asked, a bit nervously.
Wang Jixuan thought for a moment, then asked a nearby technician for a piece of white paper and wrote a series of syllables on it.
This was a calming spell; ordinary people could recite it to fall asleep peacefully and relieve stress. For someone like Wu Man, a mental energy user, reciting this spell could quickly alleviate fatigue and restore his mental power.
“Burn it after reading.”
Wang Jixuan instructed, “It’s a unique technology, don’t share it.”
Wu Man quickly looked around; the soldiers nearby turned away, except for Zhou Zhengde, who leaned in to take a quick look.
Soon, Wu Man used a lighter to burn the paper, closed his eyes, and moved his lips. When he opened his eyes again, there was a glimmer of light in them, and a faint energy surrounded him, slightly depleting the mottled aura within him.
Streams of spiritual energy danced around him, growing more lively.
Wu Man’s brief excitement didn’t last long before he realized something.
This was a new path for developing spiritual energy.
The young man gazed at Wang Jixuan’s handsome face, feeling a surge of emotion, and whispered, “Thank you, sir. I will guard this secret with my life.”
“No need to be so serious, just a little trick… When you use your ability a second time, you can imagine yourself as one of them.”
Wang Jixuan suggested, “Try not to issue commands, but rather… send out a call for help.”
“Help?” Wu Man looked confused.
Wang Jixuan crossed his arms, smiling, “Is it hard to understand? These basic blade beasts can’t tell where the commands come from, so if you change your command to a call for help, it’s like a higher-level blade beast is asking for help, and the basic blade beasts should be more eager to come out and die.”
“Okay,” Wu Man replied, “I understand.”
Moments later, Wu Man took on a prayer-like pose again, and the signal light on his helmet began to flash rapidly.
“Help… me…”
The desert fell silent for a few minutes.
Then, several technicians in the command vehicle shouted simultaneously:
“12, 34, 56, 36, 15… so many are rushing to the surface!”
“All six tunnels are filled with blade beasts! Thirty-five non-core beast groups are all moving!”
“The blade beast swarm is going wild!”
“Energy fluctuations are appearing in the underground cavity where the young king insect is located! It has awakened!”
Outside the command vehicle, explosions and shockwaves lit up the desert!
Wang Jixuan thought carefully, picked up a talisman, and walked behind Wu Man.
He had only stood still for a few seconds when a familiar mental call echoed.
“Goo—goo—”
The call carried a hint of weakness, clearly a result of the young king insect’s long-range attack on the Ling Tong, which had drained its energy.
Wu Man’s face suddenly paled, and he felt a sharp pain in his forehead.
A large hand pressed down on Wu Man’s shoulder, and a cool energy flowed into his forehead. Wu Man felt warm all over, and the blurry, tearing images in front of him were instantly dispelled.
The technicians reported quickly!
“Some of the beast groups are starting to retreat underground!”
“Two-thirds of the beast groups are turning back! Should we pursue?”
Dongfang Zhenghong shouted, “Unleash firepower!”
With the same lethality, the cost of underground firepower was much higher than that of surface firepower.
Wu Man said, “I can do it one more time.”
He immediately closed his eyes, and a sound entered his ear. Wu Man followed the syllables, opening and closing his lips, while a light blue glow surrounded him.
“Goo—goo—”
The nearby technician shouted, “The blade beast swarm is surging out again!”
“Cover with firepower!”
Two minutes later, the young king insect issued commands again, and some of the blade beast groups retreated once more.
Daoist Wang narrowed his eyes.
He was also getting serious and pointed his sword at Wu Man’s neck, directly using a rare technique from the cultivation world called “Assisting the Spirit Technique.”
This technique was originally meant for healing and rescue, designed to stimulate the potential of injured souls and spirits, allowing them to recover promptly after being harmed.
The current situation was just right for it.
Wu Man felt invigorated, even a bit euphoric, and issued commands again, the strength of his mental waves increasing by thirty to forty percent compared to before!
The “goo” sounds continued, and the blade beasts moved like headless flies, darting back and forth between the underground passages and the surface.
The human army had never seen such a scene!
The soldiers in the D5 battle zone had never fought such an easy battle!
Even Dongfang Zhenghong began to consider saving firepower costs, as saving a bit here would allow for more support at the front lines later, killing more blade beasts and reclaiming more lost territory.
After exchanging blows for four or five rounds, Daoist Wang ignited true fire.
He pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket, opened it, revealing a set of silver needles he had forged overnight.
If Wu Man couldn’t hold on, he would directly use the silver needles to stimulate Wu Man back to consciousness, opening a temporary path for him to recover his spirit using energy!
With the mottled aura within Wu Man and his assistance, they could wear down the young king insect!
Today, he would let the young king insect witness the comprehensive talent of the number one genius of the sect in a thousand years!
“Uh,” Zhou Zhengde looked at the silver needles in Daoist Wang’s hand and said quietly, “The energy index of the young king insect is continuously decreasing. Now there are only core beast groups left around it underground… should we play it safe?”
Only then did Daoist Wang put away the silver needles and pat Wu Man on the shoulder.
“Good job.”
Wu Man smiled slightly, “Mm, thank you, sir.”
Zhou Zhengde and Dongfang Zhenghong both sighed in relief.
Wang Jixuan returned to his corner and sat down calmly, while the blade beasts, misled by Wu Man, continued to charge to the surface, and the human firepower easily harvested them.
Dongfang Zhenghong looked at Wang Jixuan and murmured, “Zhengde, I’m starting to understand how you feel.”
“What?”
“Alien treasure,” the commander shook his head, then focused on the sand table in front of him, accurately allocating every bit of firepower.
After a fierce battle lasting over half an hour, eighty percent of this blade beast swarm surged to the surface, leaving behind a layer of black severed limbs in the desert.
The ferocious blade beasts had become the lambs in the slaughterhouse that morning.
…
Zzi.
While Wang Jixuan was resting his eyes, he heard Ling Tong’s voice in his earpiece.
“Our unit is ready to attack, connecting to the assault team channel.”
The voices of Chi She and Shen Hai rang out simultaneously.
Three half-human mechs detached from the surface combat mechs and entered the three-meter-high underground specialized mechs.
First, a large number of drones cleared the way; then, one by one, soldiers in full-cover power armor, suitable for the blade beast passages, entered the tunnels.
After that came Ling Tong, Chi She, and Shen Hai in their half-human mechs.
Chi She exclaimed, “This youthful version of the Beast Whisperer is so useful! I can’t even imagine how powerful a real Beast Whisperer is, and… why aren’t they using this ability to help us?”
“The Beast Whisperer’s ability would be seen as a betrayal by the king-level blade beasts,” Shen Hai replied quickly. “That would awaken the main beast groups. I saw a report saying that Wu Man’s ability is only regarded as that of a general-level blade beast.”
“Alright,” Chi She said with a slight gasp, “Tong Tong, why are you carrying a cold weapon?”
Ling Tong replied, “New equipment, still testing.”
“Is that thing useful?” Chi She scoffed, “I trust the destruction cannon on my mechanical arm more!”
“It should work in narrow spaces,” Ling Tong's response carried some uncertainty.
The three half-human mechs chatted while over ten logistics members from three teams listened quietly.
Explosions echoed through the earpiece.
Daoist Wang raised an eyebrow gently, sensing intense spiritual energy fluctuations.
On the command vehicle's large screen, the number of assault team members was rapidly decreasing, updating every ten seconds, losing ten to twenty people.
The final assault on the young king insect had begun!
In the underground, fighting in the passages opened by the blade beasts, the human side didn’t have any advantage.
Dongfang Zhenghong had now stopped issuing commands; the assault team was being led by the half-human mech Shen Hai.
Wang Jixuan could hear firsthand reports; Chi She’s voice was a bit exaggerated, Ling Tong remained calm and composed throughout, and Shen Hai was very steady.
They began to act as the tip of the spear, swiftly advancing forward and clashing with small groups of mid-level blade beasts.
Chi She suddenly cursed, “What the hell! What kind of new weapon is that!”
Ling Tong coolly replied, “Follow me, cover me with firepower.”
“Cover her with firepower!”
“Why didn’t you inform me about the new equipment!” Chi She shouted through gritted teeth. “I want one of those big swords that can unleash shockwaves! Uh, spiritual energy, crystal core! Crystal core weapons! I want one too! Tong Tong, can you let me use it for a bit? I’ll definitely return it to you! Wow! I want one! Honey! Think of a way!”
Shen Hai added, “Incredible, crossfire coverage, let her charge into the beast swarm!”
Hearing this, Daoist Wang couldn’t help but smile faintly.
He could almost picture Ling Tong dancing with her sword among the beast swarm.
Indeed, mechs.
They could create a larger version of the great sword, carrying more crystal cores, suitable for mech use.
He could just make two mech versions for her!
It was nice to see logistics personnel passing the time, watching their battle maiden use the weapons they crafted to slay enemies, which gave a sense of accomplishment.
However, Daoist Wang’s smile faded.
With Ling Tong performing exceptionally, the underground advance was smooth, but some small problems still arose.
“The young king insect has activated the mental interference field! Don’t get close; our anti-interference patches won’t work against this level of mental interference!”
Shen Hai’s voice immediately came through the command vehicle:
“Commander, we need a spiritual energy user, someone who can resist mental interference.
“These accompanying spiritual energy users can’t hold out.
“We’re only three hundred meters away from the cavity where the young king insect is located. We need to deliver the tactical nuclear bomb, but they’ve reinforced the rock layers ahead, and we can’t blast through with firepower. There are also some blade beasts blocking the way; the drones can’t get through.”
Dongfang Zhenghong pondered slightly: “Can Captain Zheng do it? He’s the strongest spiritual energy user on our side; the frontline battles are intense, and we can’t temporarily move other spiritual energy users from the battle zone.”
Shen Hai replied, “Let him try; if it doesn’t work, we’ll have to force our way through or open a path from another direction, aiming to complete the construction within a day.”
“Will the young king insect recover?” Dongfang Zhenghong asked worriedly.
“Cough…”
Just as Wang Jixuan was about to speak, Zhou Zhengde suddenly jumped in, covering Wang Jixuan’s mouth with his hand.
Dongfang Zhenghong turned to look, and Zhou Zhengde smiled at him.
“We agreed, uncle; you absolutely cannot let him do such a dangerous job!”
(End of Chapter)