Chapter 55: A+A (III)

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Chapter 55: A+A (III)

The Insectoid Queen could not be killed. If it died, the entire swarm would go berserk, and humanity’s defensive line probably wouldn’t last even an hour. Shang Ke had ordered them to locate the Queen not to kill it, but to “kidnap” it.

The Queen was smaller than an ordinary Groundclinger beetle, with a dark-purple sheen reflecting off its black carapace. It could only be detected using specialized equipment. Earlier, the intensity of the Insectoid assault, combined with interference from ionized particles in the Insect Sandstorm, had prevented Via City’s scanners from locating it. Now that the Queen had been exposed, however, it could no longer escape their tracking.

As long as the Queen was taken away from the human defensive zone, the Insectoid army would follow. The only problem was that the Insect Sandstorm began roughly 2.5 kilometers outside Via City. That distance was nowhere near enough to keep the swarm diverted. At their speed, the Insectoids could make a round trip in little more than ten minutes.

Shang Ke would have to carry the Queen into the Insect Sandstorm and take it as far away as possible. But fighter aircraft and other vehicles could not operate inside the storm, meaning the rest of the journey would have to be made on foot. Between the storm itself and the weight of a protective suit and other equipment, even an Alpha’s powerful physique probably could not go very far. And wearing protective gear still could not guarantee complete protection from radiation—the original Filmore was the best example, though most of his exposure had occurred because his suit was damaged during his escape.

Still, this was the best option they had.

At that moment, the Insectoids launched another wave of attacks. The soldiers dragged their exhausted bodies back into battle, surviving almost entirely through willpower. At least three days remained before the storm ended, while Via City’s defensive line was already teetering on the verge of collapse.

Shang Ke knew they could not delay any longer. He put on a protective suit and climbed onto the rear of a fighter aircraft.

The soldiers locked in fierce combat failed to notice Shang Ke clinging to the back of one fighter aircraft as it charged into the sea of Insectoids alongside two others, heading straight for the Queen.

“What is he trying to do?” Well over a hundred kilometers away, at the battle-zone command center, Lin Jie stared at Shang Ke on the screen in surprise.

“Capture the Queen and lure away the Insectoid army.” Rhine’s expression was stern, his voice completely even.

“The Insect Sandstorm starts only 2.5 kilometers away. There’s no way he can lure the swarm far enough. He’ll only be sacrificing himself for nothing.” Lin Jie frowned.

“I think,” Rhine said calmly, “his real objective is to buy time.”

Lin Jie fell silent, admiration entering his gaze as he watched Shang Ke. No one could have expected this inexperienced young second lieutenant to display such remarkable ability and decisive courage in a situation where survival was almost impossible. He knew the odds were hopeless, yet still chose to act. Even with death ahead, he pressed forward without hesitation.

“What are the latest readings on the Insect Sandstorm? When will it end?” Rhine asked.

Lin Jie replied, “The latest estimate is four days. In two days, the storm’s range should gradually begin shrinking, and the radiation intensity will start decreasing as well.”

Rhine’s gaze darkened. “Too long. He has two days at most. Have the First and Second Battle Squads prepare for a rescue operation.”

Within the sea of Insectoids, two fighter aircraft provided cover while the third handled the capture. Dozens of minutes later, Shang Ke and the three pilots successfully secured the Queen before the swarm could engulf them. The aircraft immediately accelerated to full power, broke through the encirclement, and sped away in the opposite direction from Via City.

The instant the Insectoids realized their Queen had been captured, the entire swarm erupted in fury. They abandoned the siege and surged after the three aircraft in rolling waves.

The soldiers still struggling against the Insectoids quickly noticed the sudden change. When they saw the swarm chasing the three aircraft away from the defensive zone, they finally understood what had happened.

Their commander had left with the Queen—and taken the Insectoid army with him. The signal light from his command ring faded over the distant horizon like a disappearing star.

Via City’s immediate crisis had been relieved. The soldiers had gained precious time to recover and a chance to survive.

But their young second lieutenant might never return.

“Sir!” the soldiers shouted toward the horizon.

The three fighter aircraft soon reached the edge of the storm. Going even slightly farther would cause their operating systems to fail.

Shang Ke jumped down and told the three pilots, “Go back. Leave the rest to me.”

“Sir!” all three pilots exclaimed at once.

“You don’t have protective suits. Following me won’t help.” Shang Ke picked up the container holding the Queen and charged into the storm without looking back.

The three pilots raised their hands and solemnly saluted the direction in which Shang Ke had disappeared, tears glimmering in their eyes.

Shang Ke had studied the terrain surrounding Via City. Roughly four kilometers from here lay a vast natural chasm stretching for well over a hundred kilometers. He planned to suspend the Queen from the opposite cliff face across the fifty-to-sixty-meter-wide divide. If the Insectoids wanted to rescue their Queen, they would have to expend a great deal of time and effort.

Shang Ke controlled the rhythm of his breathing and pushed his body to its absolute limits, racing through the storm like an untamed pursuer of the wind.

Despite his exhaustion, an inexplicable exhilaration surged through him, as though his entire body might take flight.

He had never realized his stamina was this good. After several days and nights of relentless battle, he could still run for such a long distance.

The Insectoid army was pursuing him from behind. He could not stop for even a moment. The sooner he got rid of the Queen, the better his chances of survival.

After an unknown amount of time, Shang Ke finally reached his destination. Behind him came vibrations like an approaching earthquake.

Shang Ke did not dare waste a second. He took out his portable bow and crossbow equipment and fired an arrow into the cliff wall on the opposite side. The arrowhead wedged tightly into a crack in the rock, a steel cable trailing from its shaft. Shang Ke threaded the container holding the Queen onto the cable and forcefully sent it sliding toward the opposite cliff. By the time he secured everything, the Insectoid army was already less than a thousand meters away.

He immediately turned and ran toward a steep stone peak nearby. With practiced agility, he climbed to the summit, crouched low, and quietly observed the movement below…

Most of the Insectoids surrounding Via City had been drawn away by Shang Ke. The small number remaining could no longer pose a serious threat to the defensive line. Following the original battle-group deployment, the soldiers rotated through their positions in shifts and continued resisting the attacks.

This chance to survive had been bought through Second Lieutenant Filmore’s sacrifice. Every soldier summoned what strength remained and continued their final resistance.

The eighth day passed.

Then the ninth…

The Insectoid army that everyone had expected to be delayed for only two days still had not returned.

The soldiers were stunned. They had no idea what method their commander had used to hold the swarm back for so long. With survival finally within reach, none of them could contain their excitement.

Compared with the people in Via City, Shang Ke’s current situation was considerably less optimistic.

The reason the Insectoids had yet to return was because Shang Ke had “heroically” managed to keep their aggro locked firmly on himself.

Originally, Shang Ke had been hiding perfectly well. All he needed to do was wait for the Insectoids to rescue their Queen and leave, and he would be safe. Unfortunately, just as the swarm was preparing to depart, his godforsaken Curse Halo suddenly appeared:

【Curse Halo activated: Berserk for ten hours. Target: Shang Ke.】

The moment the Curse Halo hit him, Shang Ke felt all the blood in his body begin to boil. He sprang to his feet and unleashed a furious roar at the sky, looking for all the world like Sparta 2.0.

The Insectoids were thoroughly provoked and responded with extraordinary “enthusiasm” to his arrogant, openly challenging roar.

Watching the Insectoids swarm straight toward the summit, Shang Ke mentally raised a middle finger at the System. Then he drew his saber and, as though drugged out of his mind, launched into a brutally one-sided “slaughter” of the bugs…

The first rescue force arrived on the tenth day. Wearing protective suits and carrying weapons and equipment on their backs, they crossed the now-shrunken storm zone on foot.

When the twenty-thousand-person rescue force finally arrived, the soldiers of Via City burst into tears. Many collapsed where they stood and no longer had the strength to rise again.

Corpses lay everywhere throughout the city, flesh and blood piled so densely there was almost nowhere to step. Faced with such a scene, the rescuers could scarcely imagine what kind of horrific battle these people had endured. Without reinforcements, desperately short on weapons, and overwhelmingly outmatched, Via City’s soldiers had nevertheless held the defensive line for ten days, creating a miracle in the Empire’s military history.

“Brigadier General Lancelot, please save Second Lieutenant Filmore!” With the reinforcements’ arrival, Via City’s situation gradually stabilized. The Insectoid army Shang Ke had led away still had not returned, which meant there was a very real possibility that he remained alive. After fighting beneath the young lieutenant’s command throughout the desperate defense, every soldier in Via City had come to deeply respect him, so their first request was for his rescue.

Rhine immediately organized three special-operations squads, equipped them with protective suits, and set out to rescue him.

By then, the Insect Sandstorm had weakened considerably, allowing some specialized equipment to function again. The special-operations soldiers under Rhine were well rested, heavily armed, and several times more capable than ordinary troops. Charging into a sea of Insectoids to rescue one man was within their ability.

However, when they reached the location at top speed, the sight before them left everyone stunned.

Around the small stone peak ahead of them, Insectoid corpses were piled astonishingly high, nearly level with the surrounding rock formations. A vast black mass of bodies covered the area, creating a spectacular and horrifying sight.

At the summit sat a man in ragged clothing, holding an Insectoid leg over a fire. He sat cross-legged with his upper body bare, large and small wounds covering the evenly defined muscles of his torso, giving him an indescribably compelling appearance.

Sitting atop a mountain of Insectoid corpses, surrounded by insect-sand radiation, bare-chested while roasting an Insectoid leg over a fire—did he have to look this outrageously cool and domineering? If someone took a picture of this scene, it could practically become a masterpiece passed down through the ages!

Everyone roughly estimated the number of corpses.

At the very least, there were thirty thousand.

Two days without sleep or rest meant an average of roughly one kill every minute…

Holy shit. Was this guy even human?

To kill that many Insectoids entirely by himself while already exhausted beyond belief—his strength and perseverance were terrifying.

Even stranger, he actually dared roast the Insectoids and eat them.

Were these things even edible? And why did they actually smell pretty good?

More importantly, where were all the remaining Groundclinger beetles? Why had they disappeared?

“Second Lieutenant Filmore.” Rhine ordered his soldiers to remain alert, then called toward the summit.

The man at the top did not move.

There was no response at all.

Everyone’s hearts sank.

He couldn’t be…

Rhine frowned deeply. Stepping across the Insectoid corpses, he made several agile leaps and quickly reached the summit, stopping in front of Shang Ke.

Shang Ke’s head drooped forward, his hair hanging limply over his forehead. His eyes were closed, long lashes casting faint shadows beneath them. Blood covered his face, his lips were dry and slightly cracked, and his shoulders sagged with exhaustion. His right hand still gripped his long blade, its edge covered in chips, while his left held a roasted Insectoid leg with only a few bites missing. Claw marks and puncture wounds covered his half-bare body, one gash so deep that bone was visible.

Rhine felt his chest tighten. If not for the faint rise and fall of Shang Ke’s chest, he would almost have believed the man was already dead.

Thankfully, he was still alive.

Rhine slowly crouched and reached out to support him.

Shang Ke’s eyes abruptly snapped open, and his long blade swept toward Rhine at the same instant.

Rhine neither dodged nor retreated. He caught Shang Ke’s wrist precisely and met those star-bright eyes head-on.

“You’re…” Once Shang Ke managed to see the man clearly, his taut body relaxed slightly. His voice came out dry and hoarse.

“Rhine Lancelot.” Rhine stared at him without blinking.

Rhine Lancelot? Isn’t he the “protagonist” of this world?

This man carried that familiar presence!

Shang Ke’s heart began pounding. Light flickered through his eyes as expectation and joy surfaced, and his gaze slowly shifted toward Rhine’s right hand.

At that exact moment, Rhine released him, exposing his palm.

It was completely bare.

There was actually—no. mole.

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