Chapter 130: The Alien Insect Air Force

Soon, a deafening screech echoed from the sky. The distant blue heavens were blotted out by countless black specks; it seemed as if a swarm of behemoths was descending, an omen of impending doom. On the ground, the Zerg horde approached, led by waves of Roaches. These creatures, encased in impenetrable chitinous armor, possessed such formidable defense that they charged headlong into the players' barrages without faltering.

Mixed within the vast swarm of Roaches were countless Zerglings and Banelings. The frontline players had already been decimated, and as the Zerg army reached the city gates, they swung wide. Thousands of warrior-class players drew their swords and blades, charging out to meet the enemy. Finally, the two sides clashed in a massive melee.

Though the players held the advantage in stats, the Zerg swarm seemed endless. Even as waves of monsters fell, their numbers showed no signs of diminishing. Countless Zerglings swarmed over the players, tearing at their armor; once a player was engulfed by the tide, they never stood again. Knight-class players, bolstered by their high defenses, stood firm against the self-destructing Banelings, their deaths marked by flashes of white light across the battlefield.

Before the walls, the air was filled with the thunderous roar of explosions and the clamor of war. The ground was so cluttered with various equipment dropped by the monsters that its original surface was no longer visible.

The vanguard was nearly wiped out, but behind the walls, another million players stood ready.

A strike force composed of countless Knight-class players, lightly armored Swordsmen, and Berserkers—who possessed absolute attack power—moved out. On the ramparts, a massive contingent of Archers, Mages, and Priests provided the best possible fire cover and healing support for the warriors below. Under this long-range protection, the melee classes surged forward like a tidal wave.

"Charge!" A player raised his longsword and roared. The sound of battle across the wilderness was deafening; the war cry of a million people made the very sky seem to tremble.

The monster army and the human forces collided like two titanic waves. As those in the front fell, those behind stepped up to fill the gaps, while the Zerg army surged forward, trampling over the corpses of their own kind.

It was a cataclysmic battle. The flash of blades, the rain of arrows, and the interweaving of ice, fire, and lightning combined to form a magnificent, terrifying tapestry.

The Zerg army, using the thick-skinned Roaches as a meat shield, saw their morale soar. Those Roaches were so heavily armored that arrows merely struck sparks against their shells—in truth, they were less effective than direct sword strikes. However, under the concentrated area-of-effect spells from the Mages, the Roaches in the front line began to falter.

The Zerg launched another charge, and countless Zerglings rushed forward recklessly. But then, more Zerg emerged from Nydus Worms in the rear. These new creatures, with their slender bodies, hideous faces, and scythe-like forelimbs, struck fear into everyone. The Roaches were simply too durable, and worse yet, they possessed an automatic regeneration ability—they could recover from minor wounds in seconds. To make matters worse, the enemy's ranged units had arrived.

Hydralisks, Level 50, Elite Beast.

Description: Originally herbivorous, caterpillar-like creatures, their evolutionary path was severely distorted after being modified by the Overmind. These innocent beings were transformed into the vicious killers known as Hydralisks. Hidden within the bony plates beneath their carapaces are countless armor-piercing spines, which they can launch at enemies attacking from the air or the ground.

"Damn it!" I cursed under my breath, ordering Long Zhan and the Sonic Werewolf to intercept those Hydralisks. Hydralisks had low health and defense, making them relatively easy to deal with. I turned back to help Tian Zhao focus on the charging Roaches.

Every monster grew increasingly frenzied, and those black specks in the sky were drawing closer. If the enemy air force arrived, the players on the ground would surely be unable to hold them back. The Zerg army pushed forward madly, now less than a hundred meters from the final wall. They were like a black, tumultuous sea, churning and surging. I estimated that in less than a minute, this tide would swallow everyone in the front.

Suddenly, a clear whistle rang out from nowhere. I looked up to see several black dots in the high sky. Looking closely, they weren't just specks—they were figures descending from the air, as graceful as immortals from another realm.

A massive Hellfire Demon descended from the heavens, casting a "Hellfire Sea." The ground instantly transformed into a zone of molten lava. The Zerg movement slowed significantly as they crossed the searing terrain, and within the lava, a giant, rock-encrusted serpent thrashed about, tearing Roaches and Zerglings to shreds.

Then, a massive boulder fell from the sky, slamming into the shell of a Roach with a thunderous "boom." It was a devastating blow, dealing a massive 5,000 points of damage to the Roach.

Every expert on the field was stunned. Such an attack was truly the work of a world-class martial artist.

My blood boiled with excitement. The Hellfire Demon and the lava serpent were clearly Ziyue’s summoned beasts; she must have brought a group of experts with her.

However, there were too many monsters on the ground. Even as fierce as the Hellfire Demon was, it was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers. Just then, another figure leaped down—it was Honglian. She carried a two-meter-long tachi on her shoulder, walking unhurriedly into the thick of the monster pile.

A Roach rushed at her, spitting green liquid, but Honglian dodged with ease. She drew her blade and slashed across the Roach’s carapace, dealing 4,500 damage. The entire battlefield was shocked; the Roach’s shell, which had been so tough, was sliced through as easily as paper by her blade.

Honglian moved through the monster swarm with total freedom. Whether it was the thick-skinned Roaches, the bone-spitting Hydralisks, or the lightning-fast Zerglings, none could get near her. Her attacks lacked any flashy skills—just simple cuts, slashes, and stabs—yet with these basic strikes, the Zerg around her fell in droves.

"Long Ling!" I heard Xia Tian call out. She was running toward me, clad in brown armor, holding a shield larger than herself, and carrying a massive gourd on her back. Beside her was Huan Yue.

"You arrived just in time," I said.

"I brought your wife," Xia Tian said.

"Xia Tian, what are you talking about? We're just friends," I replied.

"Is that so? I think it’s more than friends, but not quite lovers," Xia Tian laughed.

"Pretty much," added Huan Yue.

But at that moment, the enemy air force arrived. They were slender, hideous creatures with leathery wings—Mutalisks, Level 55, Elite Beasts.

Description: Mutalisks are the primary aerial units of the Swarm. They excel at harassing weakly defended structures or circling in dense swarms above their own nests or ground troops. The Mutalisk is a swift and dangerous opponent. It fires a Glaive Wurm from its tail to strike enemies in the air or on the ground. The Glaive Wurm is a vicious symbiont that rapidly splits into pieces, splashing damage onto enemies. If your defenses are not solid, or if the number of incoming Mutalisks is high, they can destroy you completely.

There were over a thousand Mutalisks. For the melee players who had no way to strike at the air, this was a nightmare. The Mutalisks spat out their symbiotic Glaive Wurms, which bounced between the players. The heavily armored warriors could withstand it, but the light-armored, cloth-wearing Mages and Archers were in trouble. The Mutalisks ignored the frontline players entirely, flying toward the walls to rain destruction upon those above. Fortunately, the players had their own air force. Flying summoned beasts took to the sky to engage in aerial combat.

I brought Huan Yue and Xia Tian and mounted Long Zhan to take to the air, leaving Tian Zhao and the Sonic Werewolf to manage the ground. These Mutalisks had fearsome attack and defense, and their mobility far outclassed our summoned beasts. However, they seemed low on health; one breath of fire from Long Zhan made them shriek and spiral toward the ground in agony. Huan Yue held her invisible sword, turning it into a flurry of wind blades that sliced the Mutalisks in half. But she had to keep consuming blue potions to maintain the assault—there was no help for it; a warrior’s mana pool is always such a frustration.

Suddenly, within the Mutalisk legion, creatures resembling bloated squids appeared. Corruptors, Level 55, Strengthened Monsters.

Description: Corruptors are creatures with massive heads, ferocious beaks, and dangling tentacles. They can coat targets in a corrosive acid, increasing the damage they take.

No sooner had I finished reading the description than I saw those Corruptors spitting streams of purple liquid. Wherever it landed, purple smoke rose, followed by a barrage of yellow projectiles from the Corruptors that sent players falling from the sky one by one. The battle had entered a white-hot state.