It had been six hours of waiting, from noon until dusk, and still there was no sign of the starship bugs. The insect swarm, too, seemed to be biding its time, roaming around the foothills and beaches, occasionally engaging in skirmishes and digging new tunnels. Yet everyone knew that there was something major brewing in the area.
In the afternoon, the swarm's numbers grew significantly. The bugs on the shoreline were overwhelming, and despite the formidable firepower and surveillance capabilities of the airborne forces, they couldn't completely seal off the area. Many bugs managed to slip through the blockade and infiltrate the beach from the foothills.
What was once a beach populated only by soldier bugs was now home to tank beetles and giant plasma worms, forming a highly equipped legion.
The temporary command center ordered them to continue waiting, urging everyone not to act in haste. Even if the starship bugs were not present, there must be something else that had caught the attention of the insects, otherwise they wouldn't have gathered in such numbers.
As for the swarm...
Hidden atop the mountain were over thirty special operations units, armed to the teeth. If it came to a fight, the swarm's main force wouldn't last a minute against them, as each unit possessed tactical nuclear weapons.
Two more hours passed.
"Damn it, got complacent!"
Zhou Yuan lay on the ground, using his binoculars to survey the beach, his expression darkening by the moment. He suddenly felt regretful.
Honestly, he shouldn't have bothered with this at noon. Let the bug swarm go wherever they wanted; his only concern should have been blowing up the bug nests and collecting soul points. Now, he had wasted so much time.
The genetic evolution liquid was right in front of him, but he hadn't expected to trip himself up like this.
He hoped that a battle would break out later, and he prayed they wouldn't withdraw halfway through; otherwise, it would truly be a massive loss.
... ...
"Sir, we have a situation."
"Sir, can you receive me?"
Late at night, Zhou Yuan was roused from his rest by the sound of the laser bird.
Zhou Yuan nearly jumped up, opening his tactical device. This was the signal between him and the laser bird. The laser bird had connected to his tactical system, allowing him to communicate when speaking was inconvenient, using the device's status as a signal.
"Sir, the target is in your left front."
"Twenty seconds ago, about thirty kilometers from your current coordinates, there was a large-scale disturbance in the sea, with faint blue light flickering beneath the waves."
"Based on the direction of the sea disturbance, the target is approaching the area where you are."
"The airspace is currently occupied by a fleet of bombers and a swarm of locusts, and they are engaged in combat. I will dive into the sea to evade them and will be unable to reach your location for the time being."
"Starship Bugs!"
After listening to Laserbird's report, Zhou Yuan's enthusiasm soared. It seemed that the bugs here were indeed acting as bodyguards for the starship worm.
And the starship worm was quite cunning, hiding in the sea for a whole day before being discovered.
"All units, attention!"
"Immediately wake up the sleeping personnel and prepare for battle!"
Just as Laserbird finished reporting to Zhou Yuan, Buck's voice came through the earpiece.
Upon hearing Buck's words, the five rotating squads quickly awakened.
At this moment, Buck continued, "The aerial unit has spotted the starship worm. It's hiding in the sea and heading towards us."
"Scouts, adjust the binoculars to the highest magnification and keep a close eye on the beach and the nearby sea!"
"Demolition experts, prepare tactical nuclear bombs, set them all to detonate upon impact, aim at the coastline. I will give the order to launch!"
"Finally, squads, disperse and get ready for a possible descent from the mountain. Prepare for a charge!"
"Yes, sir!"
The squads immediately dispersed, forming a battle line according to their squad numbers.
"Impact Wave, give me two nuclear bombs."
"Generator, each of us will carry two bombs, and the remaining one will be used for defense. Distribute the mixed explosives and grenade launchers."
"Everyone else, pay attention. Equip yourselves with grenade launchers and shotguns. If we have to charge later, I need you to unleash your strongest firepower."
After the squads took their positions, Zhou Yuan gave a detailed briefing.
Facing the onslaught of the bug tide head-on was no joke.
To avoid friendly fire, they couldn't allow the tactical nuclear bombs to explode at close range, as it would cause the bugs closer to the mountains to evade the blast.
And these bugs that didn't get hit by the explosion would launch a relentless counterattack on the mountains as soon as they started their operation.
...
Two minutes later, the numerous teams hidden on the mountaintop were all tensed up.
There was movement in the near-sea area!
The sea surface there was turbulent.
Suddenly, the sea surface was lifted up, and wave after wave of large waves swept out, as if a colossal creature was breaking through the water.
In the next moment, the sea surface exploded completely.
A black shadow shimmering with blue light leaped out, dispersing the surrounding darkness. It was none other than the starship worm!
The location of everyone was actually several kilometers away from the starship worm.
But the starship worm was a super giant blue light, and combined with the high terrain and binoculars, everyone could clearly see the situation in the nearby sea.
"It's really injured!"
After seeing the starship worm, Zhou Yuan's eyes lit up.
The right wing of the starship worm was injured, with both wings severed for a large portion, leaving only a small part still attached.
Now, the starship worm was floating on the sea surface.
The energy jets on its side were continuously emitting blue light, keeping it afloat.
From this, one could gather some intelligence: the starship worm had flight restrictions.
It may be similar to a helicopter, needing wings to gain height, and the energy jets might just be propulsion engines.
"Prepare!"
At the same time, Buck's voice came through the headphones, reaching every team member.
"No need to aim at the starship worm, aim at the swarm on the coastline."
Zhou Yuan crouched down and walked towards the engine, quietly reminding everyone.
Afterwards, he loaded the tactical nuclear bomb into the launcher and carried it on his shoulder, ready to fire at any moment.
The maximum range of the tactical nuclear bomb was five kilometers, while the starship worm was still six or seven kilometers away from them. It was impossible to directly take it down. Even though the explosion of the tactical nuclear bomb generated a considerable shockwave, it would not be able to harm the starship worm with its formidable shell defense.
Time seemed to freeze as the starship worm appeared.
Everyone stood motionless, holding their breath, as if even taking a breath would alert the starship worm.
Anxious and restless, they waited for over ten seconds, until the starship worm had completely left the sea.
It floated like a firefly, reaching the position where the beach connected with the sea surface, and slowly descended, its blue light extinguishing at that moment.
"Fire!"
In the next instant, Buck's roar resounded through the headphones.
Everyone who held a tactical nuclear bomb launcher pulled the trigger at that moment.
... ...
Could I have a small complimentary gift, please?