Andrew was still firing wildly, laughing excitedly as he yelled to Chen Gu behind him, "Master, rest up! Leave these grunts to us! Watch my fierce firepower, accurate enough to pierce a willow leaf from a hundred paces! Hahaha..."
His energy assault rifle was indeed taking down one bug with each shot, felling those Ghost Claw Bugs.
Chen Gu couldn't help but smile; certain beliefs in his heart grew even more resolute.
Someone appeared behind Chen Gu and hesitated for a moment before asking, "Can you... still hold on?"
It was Dou Zhanqiong.
Chen Gu turned and looked at him. "Even if I can't hold on, I must! Between us and the Insect Race, it's either they die, or we perish!"
Dou Zhanqiong cracked a smile. "You're right."
Chen Gu noticed Dou Zhanqiong dragging a safety case half a man's height behind him. "What's that?"
Dou Zhanqiong patted the case. "Our old buddy, the 'Silver Warrior III' Mecha."
Chen Gu was startled. This was the current main light Mecha of the Confederation's ground forces. The lifeboats were cramped, unfit for heavy equipment, but they could carry this type of light Mecha.
Dou Zhanqiong opened the case, revealing the folded, compact silver Mecha. He pressed a button on it, and the Mecha activated, automatically fitting onto Dou Zhanqiong with hisses and clicks.
"I was selected to be a Star Armor pilot right when I enlisted. I was excited for days, only to be issued a 'Silver Warrior III'. We were told to start getting accustomed to using the most basic light Mechas—my goodness, that 'getting used to it' lasted over two years.
"Besides Star Armor, the 'Silver Warrior III' is the Mecha model I'm most familiar with. It's been years since I've used this old buddy."
Behind Dou Zhanqiong, in the cave, dozens of Mecha pilots emerged, each dragging a similar case.
They donned their Mechas without a word.
The light Mechas stood 2.2 meters tall, sleek with smooth lines, exuding the beauty of modern industry.
"What are you planning to do?" Chen Gu interjected. "Facing the swarm with light Mechas is suicide!"
Dou Zhanqiong produced a can of paint from nowhere and sprayed three bright red stripes on his Mecha. "As you said, it's either them or us. We are Mecha pilots. We're not as good at shooting as other infantrymen, but we must use our familiar weapons to contribute to this battle for survival!"
"You've put everything on the line. We are warriors too; we can do the same!"
He saluted Chen Gu solemnly. "Master, rest for a while. We'll buy you some time! In the end, it's still up to you!"
After saying this, he waved to the Mecha pilots behind him, and all the light Mechas charged out of the cave.
BOOM— Latest content publıshed on 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹⟡𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⟡𝙣𝙚𝙩
Once outside the cave, the 'Silver Warrior III's' rocket engines ignited, blasting flames as they sped towards the sea of bugs!
Dou Zhanqiong, agile and quick, spiraled through the air, passing beneath a large Ghost Claw Bug whose belly burst open, screeching as it fell.
Again, Dou Zhanqiong agilely grabbed the antenna of a Giant Armored Bug, using the momentum to somersault onto its back. He whipped out his hand cannon and fired continuously at the bug's relatively weak neck. After a dozen shots, its neck snapped, and it crashed to the ground with a thunderous thud.
Chen Gu closed his eyes, silently resting and regaining his strength. But the extreme strain wouldn't vanish with a brief rest, and the risk of mutation remained high. Chen Gu was well aware of this, but at that moment, he no longer cared.
The swarm was massive, and the Insect Race formidable. Among the dozens of Mecha pilots who had charged out, seven or eight had already fallen in combat within a short time.
Without exception, each Mecha pilot detonated their rocket engines in their final moments, taking the surrounding bugs with them!
Chen Gu opened his eyes and quietly moved behind the carcass of the Blazing Mammoth Bug, saying to Andrew, who was deep in the fray, "Pull back."
Excited, Andrew asked, "Master, are you preparing to strike again?"
Chen Gu nodded. The swarm had surged forward, and the Blazing Mammoth Bugs were only a few hundred meters from the cave outpost. If another Biological Nuclear Explosion were to occur, the warriors would need the cave's protection.
"Okay!" Andrew, thrilled, immediately ordered all warriors to withdraw into the cave.
Chen Gu emphasized, "The Mechas too. Pull them all back."
Lastly, Chen Gu said, "After I go out this time, don't allow me to come back."
Andrew was stunned. What did this mean? Chen Gu continued, "If I do return, don't hesitate. Kill me on the spot!"
"What?" Andrew was shocked. "Master..."
Chen Gu interrupted him. "Remember my words. Don't hesitate. If I appear in the cave, kill me immediately!"
Andrew seemed to realize something, tears welling in his fierce eyes. Chen Gu embraced him firmly. "You are an outstanding commander. It has been an honor to fight alongside you!"
"The rest is up to you now!"
Familiar energy ripples once again emerged around Chen Gu. Andrew felt the intense energy, his figure swaying. He couldn't focus on that, reaching out to grab Chen Gu. "Master, let's think of another way! We haven't reached the point where you need to fight to the death..."
He grasped at nothing; Chen Gu had already vanished.
Andrew stood there, dazed, his eyes stinging with involuntary tears.
In the Central Operations Room, the image transmitted from the high-altitude lookout showed energy ripples emerging on the battlefield. Chen Gu had appeared once more.
Chen Jixian slowly, heavily, bowed his head. Aviloya remained silent. They both understood what this meant.
Bai Yunpeng clenched his teeth. "This—this is a true soldier of our Confederation!"
Eighteen Blazing Mammoth Bugs remained. Even if Chen Gu managed to kill them all in this final attack, the vast sea of insects would still stretch endlessly, filled with Giant Armored Bugs and large Ghost Claw Bugs that ordinary warriors found incredibly difficult to kill.
Moreover, the Troop Nest Beetles in the rear could potentially spawn vast numbers of new Blazing Mammoth Bugs.
In other words, even if Chen Gu risked his life, he was merely buying everyone a fleeting glimmer of hope.
But without this effort, the warriors wouldn't stand the slightest chance of survival.
There was one possibility everyone present understood but no one voiced, for to speak of it after Chen Gu launched his final, desperate assault would be an insult to him: if he abandoned his comrades, Chen Gu alone could survive.
That was why, when Bai Yunpeng called him "a true soldier of the Confederation," everyone wholeheartedly agreed.
The front line of the insect sea was now less than eighty meters away from the cave outpost. With the insects' massive size, it would take them just half a minute to reach the cave entrance.
The Blazing Mammoth Bugs had already rushed to within three hundred meters of the cave.
The reason they had not dared to come any closer was because of the deterrent effect of Chen Gu's previous "Nuclear Fusion Beam Eyes."