Chapter 247
Chapter 247
Thick fog swept across the entire uninhabited zone in an instant, reducing visibility to less than five meters within moments.
The sudden change made Qingqing frown, and she temporarily called the advancing column to a halt.
Once the white fog had completely engulfed them, Qingqing summoned the class monitors to discuss their next move.
“Let’s hear it. What should we do now?”
“I suggest we wait and see. The fog should clear before long.”
“We should send two squads ahead to scout the way. With fog this thick, I doubt it’ll clear anytime soon.”
“He’s right. Our supplies are limited. We can’t afford to wait around.”
Qingqing nodded. “Then we keep moving. Who’s willing to scout ahead?”
“Eleventh Squad volunteers to take point!”
“Bullshit! Everyone knows how dangerous the front is. Let Twelfth Squad do it!”
“You bunch of dumbass brats! I missed out in ’99. Let me go this time!”
Qingqing glanced at the speaker. He was a middle-aged veteran.
“Eighth Squad, I’m leaving it to you!”
A flicker of delight crossed the veteran’s face.
“We guarantee we’ll complete the mission!”
The other class monitors turned away and stopped arguing with him.
Scouting ahead was clearly tantamount to marching to their deaths.
But they were soldiers!
From the moment they put on their uniforms, they were meant to stand between the people and danger, bearing everything with their lives!
The column quickly re-formed and resumed its advance.
Between the heavy fog and the complete lack of roads in the uninhabited zone, they were moving at a snail’s pace.
An oppressive atmosphere soon spread through the ranks.
Suddenly, a series of urgent whistle blasts rang out from up ahead.
Almost instantly, everyone assumed combat positions.
After several clashes, they all knew how to deal with the insects. They also knew the fastest, most efficient ways to kill them.
But the whistle lasted only a few seconds before abruptly falling silent.
Then came several piercing screams.
Qingqing tightened her grip on her machete, her expression grim.
It seemed Eighth Squad was done for.
And they had not even traveled a full kilometer yet!
At their current pace, it would take at least another five hours to reach the center of the uninhabited zone.
But how many people would die over those five hours?
Qingqing took a deep breath. “Everyone, hold position and stay alert!”
With that, she set off alone into the fog, machete in hand.
“Commander!”
“Commander!”
“If I’m not back in ten minutes, find another route and keep moving!”
After giving her instructions, Qingqing disappeared into the fog.
She advanced along the path that Eighth Squad had cleared and soon heard an unusual sound.
She quietly lowered her body and crept toward it.
At last, the source of the sound came into view.
Qingqing had seen insects like this before. She had killed more of them than she could count!
It stood two meters tall, its entire body covered in pitch-black armor. The two enormous, scythe-shaped mandibles beside its mouth were dripping with blood.
The insect was loading the corpses onto its back one by one.
As Qingqing stared at the bodies of Eighth Squad, bitterness filled her eyes.
Ordinary bullets could not penetrate the armor of a creature like this.
Qingqing did not hesitate. Drawing her machete, she charged straight at the insect.
Bullets might have struggled to pierce its defenses, but Qingqing was wielding a specially made machete.
What Qingqing did not know was that the hardest part of this game was not the uninhabited zone.
It was the time limit!
From the moment they entered the uninhabited zone, they had only thirty hours in total.
If they failed to locate the Brood Nest within the allotted time, the troops on the perimeter would be unable to hold out under the pressure.
Swarms of insects would return to the uninhabited zone.
That was when the Insectoid Race would become a true threat.
And as the recipient of Boss Zhang’s special attention, Qingqing had been given an even shorter deadline: a mere twenty hours.
Now, Qingqing had only seven hours left.
Meanwhile, back in the uninhabited zone…
After a grueling struggle, Qingqing finally managed to finish off the insect.
Green blood lay splattered across the ground. Qingqing laid out the bodies of Eighth Squad properly before returning to the group.
“Keep moving!”
“Yes!”
The instant the words left her mouth, a violent explosion erupted behind them.
Even the ground trembled beneath their feet.
Qingqing narrowed her eyes as she peered through the dense fog.
The troops on the perimeter had clearly begun deploying heavy weapons.
Over the next four full hours, Qingqing pressed forward through the relentless attacks of countless insects and somehow made it all the way into the deepest reaches of the uninhabited zone.
But the cost of that breakneck advance was steep. Of the hundred-strong force, only twenty remained.
Every single survivor was wounded.
At some point, the dense fog had dispersed. The group took cover behind a massive boulder and surveyed the situation ahead.
The Brood Nest really was here, but dealing with it would be anything but easy.
The Brood Nest resembled a gigantic honeycomb, except that a cavernous maw gaped across its surface.
Insects formed long lines, carrying all manner of animal carcasses into that yawning abyss.
Meanwhile, an endless stream of insects continued to crawl out from the honeycomb-like openings.
More than a dozen giant insects standing over three meters tall guarded the area around the Brood Nest, barring the way forward.
Qingqing frowned as she studied the Brood Nest before her.
There was clearly no way human beings could take this thing down directly.
There was only one option: use the locator in her backpack to call in a high-yield missile strike.
But could it truly be that simple?
The moment Qingqing took out the locator, she discovered a problem.
The device was blinking red, and its small screen read NO SIGNAL.
Qingqing’s expression darkened. It took several deep breaths before she managed to calm herself.
“Commander, the magnetic interference here is severe!”
A young soldier held up a portable terminal, his expression grave.
Qingqing nodded. “I need a squad to draw those insects away.”
Her heart felt as though it were bleeding as she spoke those words.
Even with mechs, insects over three meters tall like these had been brutally difficult to fight.
But now, whoever went to lure them away would be walking to their death.
“It’s my goddamn turn! Don’t any of you fight me for it!”
A soldier clutched his rifle tightly, his expression resolute.
Several squad members behind him rose to their feet as well.
“Commander, let Eleventh Squad handle this one!”
“That’s right, Commander! It’s our turn!”
Qingqing looked at the soldiers before her and finally nodded.
“All right. We move in five minutes!”
Eleventh Squad checked their equipment and spent the last moments of their lives finalizing a battle plan.
Soon, the continuous gunfire of Eleventh Squad rang out in the distance.
Half of the dozen-plus giant insects immediately broke away and charged toward the sound of gunfire.
Qingqing stared at the remaining giant insects and gritted her teeth. “Twelfth Squad, advance!”
“Mission will be accomplished!”
A hoarse cry rang out beside her as yet another squad marched into the distance without a flicker of fear.