With the assistance of artificial intelligence, the Ji race operated with remarkable efficiency. Barely monts after the command was issued by the rear headquarters, the battlefield-side bunker modules were imdiately loaded into the delivery process.
After securing air superiority and suppressing and reducing the Swarm’s anti-air capabilities, the Ji race’s airdrop operations were virtually unrestrained. Fireballs continuously streaked across the sky in droves.
The bunker modules didn’t stand out among the nurous fireballs. After penetrating the atmosphere and descending to about ten kiloters above the surface, their built-in thrusters activated.
The size of a complete infantry bunker varied based on the number of modules required. The smallest bunker could be completed with just one module, accommodating two people, while the largest could consist of hundreds of modules, capable of housing nearly a thousand infantryn simultaneously for combat.
At a hundred ters above the ground, the modules began to decelerate. Their original landing thod was brutally efficient, but given the presence of friendly forces and delicate equipnt at the target location, failing to slow down would have resulted in them being mistaken for invaders and shot down.
One of the advantages of modular equipnt was its plug-and-play compatibility with other devices of the sa type. As the modules landed, they automatically aligned themselves, connecting via latches to form a long tal snake resembling an extrely elongated train.
The “locomotive” of this train was a K1KN10, tasked with transporting these hundreds of “carriages” to the marines underground.
The bunker modules were high-priority items, so the train quickly got underway. With only a kiloter between the surface and the destination, the K1KN10 swiftly delivered the cargo.
Selina, the battlefield auxiliary AI, had already planned the positions and models for the bunkers. Upon arrival at the designated location, the cargo automatically separated, with thrusters activating…
The Ji race demonstrated what fully automated operation truly ant. Under the control of artificial intelligence, the bunker modules efficiently completed various combinations in perfect order.
Three-module, five-module, ten-module types, and more—within monts, the previously rather empty and terrifying underground tunnels were lined with towering tal bunkers.
Subsequently, the powerful lighting equipnt atop the tal bunkers turned on simultaneously. Their imnse wattage transford the pitch-black tunnels, previously reliant on flares for illumination, into daylight.
At the sa ti, the marines received new orders assigning them to garrison the various bunkers. This ensured that the Ji forces no longer needed to worry about casualties caused by tunnel collapses. Moreover, they no longer feared ambushes from the Swarm; the earlier tactic of the Swarm attacking from beneath had left many marines apprehensive.
Not only were underground facilities improved, but large detection equipnt was also assembled on the surface. Within three kiloters underground, even small Spider Combat Bugs were clearly displayed, rendering the Swarm’s movents impossible to conceal.
However, these developnts did not deter the Swarm. With their Empress surrounded, the Swarm launched relentless, cost-ignoring attacks, determined to tear apart those harboring ill intentions toward their monarch.
“Be careful below, the big ones are coming!” a Ji communications soldier shouted over the comms channel.
In truth, there was no need for him to shout; Selina’s danger alert had already arrived ahead of ti. Based on the data from the detection instrunts, a large number of Burrowing Worms were gathering beneath them.
Even within the detection range, nearly a hundred Burrowing Worms were visible, and beyond the detection range, the advisory departnt estimated there would be many more.
Keep in mind, these were giant units, around ten ters in diater and several hundred ters in length. While such sizes weren’t remarkable in space, inside a planet, they were colossal behemoths.
The purpose of these Burrowing Worms gathering was evident—they aid to consolidate their forces to avoid being picked off one by one by the Ji forces. At the sa ti, they sought an opportunity to charge the Ji army’s formation and bunkers from below.
The large gathering of Burrowing Worms here naturally reduced their numbers elsewhere. The Swarm was already at a disadvantage on the frontlines, and now, with one side reinforcing their defenses with formidable bunkers and the other side withdrawing their tunnel-clearing and tank-like Burrowing Worms, the direction of the battle was clear.
Nonetheless, the Ji race didn’t beco complacent despite their current advantages. On the frontlines, although waves of Swarm corpses piled up, their numbers showed no signs of decreasing. The Swarm wasn’t concerned about the loss of these cannon fodder units. In their view, using these expendable forces to pin down part of the Ji army was already a victory.
The gathered Burrowing Worms likely represented what the Swarm truly valued. Fortunately, the Ji race’s equipnt was promptly installed, so as soon as the Burrowing Worms moved, the Ji soldiers received alerts.
However, the soldiers didn’t have many good options. Their personal weapons felt sowhat powerless against these massive creatures. Thankfully, earlier, the K2N9s had planted nurous high-explosive bombs in a large area beneath the tunnels. If the Burrowing Worms charged through here, it would surely deal them a heavy blow. Of course, scaring them off would also be excellent.
Unfortunately, the soldiers’ hopes were dashed. Intelligence indicated that the Burrowing Worms were charging upward. Thanks to tily warnings from Selina and the communications soldier, the marines reacted promptly.
Inside the tal bunkers, there were nurous protrusions serving as fixed devices. Soldiers connected the retractable buckles on their combat suits to these fixtures to secure their bodies.
Although this slightly affected shooting, the gaps in firepower were imdiately filled by chanical soldiers. These chanical soldiers underwent a complex and dazzling fusion, their lower bodies deforming until they resembled stationary turrets connected to the bunkers.
Though losing mobility, the firepower intensity and accuracy they unleashed were far superior to before. For a mont, the Swarm’s charging forces were pushed back dozens of ters.
“Boom!” A deep explosion rocked the entire bunker, and this was only the beginning. Explosions and tremors from below continued unabated for two full minutes. The bunker swayed back and forth, and if the soldiers hadn’t secured their bodies beforehand, non-combat casualties might have occurred.
All kinds of tunnels, whether dug by Burrowing Worms or the K1KN10s, crumbled under the quake-like vibrations, their structures loosening and collapsing. Nurous Swarm units were buried, while the Ji race, having pre-installed tal bunkers, erged relatively unscathed aside from so dizziness. However, so fixed defense systems outside the bunkers suffered varying degrees of damage.
Reviews
All reviews (0)