CHAPTER 180: CHAPTER 145: STAY CLOSE AND KILL THEM ALL!!

"Cough... Crazy people!" Qi Hao spat out the blood and dust from his mouth and cursed at the ruins, where only a giant scorched pit and wisps of smoke were left.

"Look over there, that researcher earlier!!" Lv Chen, sharp-eyed, pointed to a relatively intact piece of concrete debris on the edge of the pit.

Everyone looked over and saw that half of Engineer Zhang’s body had been torn apart by the explosion’s shock wave, with his lower body already missing.

The remaining upper body was crushed under a metal plate, blood soaking into the rubble, pupils dilated, and blood frothing from his mouth, clearly not going to make it.

Fang Qingyu instantly appeared beside him.

Half-crouching, with a low and urgent voice: "What exactly do you want?"

Engineer Zhang’s unfocused pupils seemed to focus for a moment, staring fiercely at Fang Qingyu, letting out a hoarse sound from his throat, subconsciously squeezing out a few words:

"Core material... and the worm egg..."

With that, his head tilted, completely losing all signs of life.

Fang Qingyu listened with a slight frown.

As for core material, killing the queen and protecting the queen’s corpse should naturally yield it.

But what is this worm egg!? Where in the lair is it!?

As soon as the words were spoken, although the harsh alarm had ceased, a more terrifying sound, echoing like that from Hell, surged from all directions!

"Sssss——!!!"

"Click clack click clack——!!!"

Sharp! Dense! Frenzied!

More violent than any insect swarm buzzing they had encountered before! The sound seemed to carry a bone-deep hatred and a will of total destruction, instantly drowning the entire abandoned residential area!

"Withdraw."

Fang Qingyu didn’t say any more.

Immediately led the retreat, positioning himself at the rear, with the Starlight Force Field flickering in and out.

Fortunately, the enemies seemed very interested in the explosion site.

When the squad left the street corner, those Life Ghosts merely surrounded the explosion vicinity and did not pursue them.

Everyone continued to swiftly traverse through the ruins.

The closer they got to Central Park, the more intense the stench in the air, and the more sticky and slippery the ground became.

The insect swarm’s buzzing also grew denser and more frenzied, with a low, heartbeat-like "thump... thump..." sound subtly mingling in, emanating from deep underground, striking everyone’s heart.

Qin Hui wiped the mixture of sweat and insect blood from his face, lowering his voice: "Qingzi, that sunken plaza ahead is one of the entrances to Central Park! Intel shows the main entrance to the lair is right below! But... there are too many insects!"

Everyone lay behind a collapsed overpass remnant looking down.

The originally spacious sunken plaza had now completely turned into an ocean of insects!

Countless and densely packed, with all sorts of insect shadows writhing and crowding, the number and density far exceeded the previous encounter in the dock area!

At the center of the plaza, a gigantic pit entrance surrounded by countless thick, pulsating dark purple flesh-like tubes, like the throat of Hell, spewing out a stench and an endless stream of insect swarms!

The deep heartbeat was coming from the pit depth!

Amidst the sea of insects, flashes of intense battle and explosions could be vaguely seen!

It was the Sharp Blade Team and other teams responsible for the frontal assault, struggling to advance towards the pit entrance in the sea of insects!

But with the infinite swarm obstruction, the advancement speed was despairingly slow.

"Damn, how do we get over there?!" Old Qiao looked at the daunting scene below, feeling his knees go weak.

Fang Qingyu’s gaze scanned the chaotic battlefield below, with the Starlight Force Field gently flowing on his body.

His sight finally fixed on a relatively "vacant" area about two hundred meters diagonally down from their position.

Not that there were no insects, but because a few giant load-bearing pillars that hadn’t completely collapsed stood there, covered in thick dark purple viscous material, like part of the lair.

A Divine Management Bureau team of about seven or eight people was relying on these giant pillars to construct a precarious circular defense line, resisting the tidal waves of assaults from all directions.

Judging by their arm patches, it was the Sharp Blade Team.

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They were obviously forcefully cut off from the main attack direction by the surging insect swarm and fell into a heavy siege, currently in grave danger.

In the center of the defensive line, a figure wielding dual blades and drenched in blood stood out prominently; it was the captain of the Sharp Blade Squad, Luo Feng.

His dual blades swept through the air, sending out fierce cold lights that shredded the approaching insect shadows, but the continuously accumulating wounds and increasingly sluggish movements showed that he was at the end of his strength.

"Qingzi?" Qin Hui followed Fang Qingyu’s gaze and also noticed the plight of the Sharp Blade Squad.

Fang Qingyu didn’t reply immediately; his eyes pierced through the chaotic battlefield as if he were calculating something.

A few seconds later, a trace of decisiveness flickered in his eyes.

"Change route." Fang Qingyu’s voice was decisive, "Don’t go to the center of the plaza anymore. Target, those load-bearing pillars below, to support the Luo Feng Squad!"

"What? Go over there?" Qi Hao was stunned, "But that’s further from the main entrance! And the insects..."

"Precisely because the insects are all swarming at them, the flanks of the main entrance will temporarily have a defensive gap!" Fang Qingyu interrupted him, speaking rapidly, "Luo Feng’s position is an excellent springboard and support point! If they can’t hold on, we’ll just be sitting ducks charging the main entrance! Save them, use the giant pillars to establish a temporary stronghold, which can both relieve the pressure on the Sharp Blade Team and threaten the entrance to the mothership from the side!"

Then he looked over everyone with undeniable authority: "The outer insect swarm is endless! We don’t have much time."

Before his words finished, Fang Qingyu had already leaped down from the overhead wreckage!

"Stay close to me! Fight downwards—!!!"

Qin Hui, Old Qiao, and the others hesitated no more, roaring as they followed closely behind, like several sharp blades, fiercely stabbing into the boiling sea of death insects below!

Buzz——!

The Celestial Stars Field deployed relentlessly without reservation!

A ten-meter range instantly turned into an invisible quagmire!

The flying insect swarm at the top layer seemed to crash into a wall of viscous stardust, their diving speed plummeting sharply, and their sharp screeches turned into compressed wails, sticking densely to the invisible force field barrier, vibrating their wings futilely, while the trajectory of their acid spray became skewed and weak!

Qin Hui and the others behind him, as well as Jiang Wei who was protected in the center, suddenly felt the pressure on them lighten, as if they had surfaced from deep waters.

Though insect shadows still covered the sky around them, those most lethal ranged attacks and high-speed charges were all weakened and delayed by the invisible barrier ahead!

"Starfire!"

In mid-air, Fang Qingyu spread his five fingers, white-hot starfire jumping in his palm!

Chichi——!

Several streams of condensed, tangible white-hot fire threads, like precise laser beams, instantly shot into the connection points of the eyes and mouthparts of several beetles below attempting to spray acid!

Puff puff puff!

The beetles hit instantly combusted from the inside out, turning into rolling fireballs and falling, triggering small chaos and the stench of charredness in the insect swarm!

"Land! Form a triangle! Qin and Old Qiao front line! Qi Hao and Lv Chen cover Xiaojiang! Clear the landing point!" Fang Qingyu’s orders were clear and cold, piercing through the noise.

Bang!

Fang Qingyu landed first, his feet stomping heavily on the sticky, slippery ground covered with insect corpses and unidentified mucus, the dark red lava patterns faintly gleaming beneath his combat suit, the massive impact lifting the Scythe Claw Swift Insects several meters around his landing spot off the ground!

Dragon Sparrow Calamity Slash unsheathed instantly, the blade flowing with brilliant starlight!

"Tribulation Ashes!"

The blade light transformed into a fan-shaped storm burning with starfire, sweeping out!

Heat and sharpness intertwined, instantly slicing and incinerating dozens of small swift insects that were launched away or approaching! Clearing a scorched black open space in the insect swarm by force!

Qin Hui and Old Qiao landed one after another, executing the orders without hesitation, steadfastly standing on either side of Fang Qingyu like two steel gates, their battle blades and heavy fists accompanied by the sound of breaking wind, fiercely smashing towards the front lines of the insect tide surging from both sides!

Qi Hao and Lv Chen shielded Jiang Wei in the center of the open space, back to back, their weapons pointing towards the gaps, swiftly cleaning up the sporadic insects that broke through the force field and blade light.

Jiang Wei’s small face was taut, her invisible hot force field rippling slightly, instantly evaporating the approaching acid.

"Target! Load-bearing pillars! Advance straight!"

Fang Qingyu’s gaze locked on those giant pillars diagonally below, and the Luo Feng Squad fighting bloodily beneath them.

Distance, two hundred meters! With a seething swarm of insects in between!

"Attack—!"

The squad transformed into a true sharp blade, under Fang Qingyu’s indomitable lead, fiercely stabbing into the sea of insects!