37: melee combat

The 31st day since the disaster began.

Under the continuous laser fire, the barrels of the automated turrets in the starry sky, forged from high-grade alloys, finally reached their limits and emitted overheating alarms.

In normal times, personnel could be dispatched for repairs, but with the siege by countless monsters, there was simply no time to catch a breath.

The dense rain of laser fire inevitably developed gaps in its defensive line.

The lines of the Galaxy Beast horde gradually closed in from ten thousand miles away.

The worse news was that the average level of these monsters was rising; from initially being mostly D to B rank, they were now at least C rank, with quite a few A ranks among them.

"Could what Zhang Huaiyuan said be true?"

Inside the mining zone command center, Viscount Kane's expression grew increasingly grim as he watched the footage transmitted back by the detectors.

Two Imperial Star Mechanics beside him flickered their eyes, remaining silent for a long moment before saying:

"Viscount. Perhaps it is just because the weak Galaxy Beasts have all been killed... Besides, we offered so many benefits precisely to have those commoners use their lives to buy us time."

Upon hearing this, Leios couldn't help but frown and turned to look out the window.

He had always believed that truth comes from the fist and despised such behavior.

But he had no choice; he who takes another's gifts is soft-handed. Since the vast majority of his cultivation resources and equipment were provided by the Adolu Family, he could only pretend not to hear.

"That is all we can do. We must not abandon the Blackstone Star mining zone unless it is an absolute last resort."

Viscount Kane let out a long sigh and asked in a low voice:

"Has the Warp Device been checked?"

"Yes, Viscount, the positioning connection is complete, and it can be activated at any time."

"Good. Order the overseers to mine at full capacity, inject all the mining slaves with ten times the high-concentration stimulant, cancel all their rest time, and refine as much ore as possible."

Upon hearing this, Viscount Kane's expression gradually returned to calm, and he ordered indifferently.

Since they could leave at any time, there was nothing to worry about.

As for the others, even if they all died, what did it have to do with him?

"Also, notify everyone to prepare for battle."

...

33rd day, early morning.

Not a single soldier was asleep.

Most had injected themselves with mental stimulants to force themselves to stay awake; their fearful eyes flickered with a crazed light.

After holding out for over a month, the automated turrets on the dome finally reached their end, being torn to pieces one by one by the enraged Galaxy Beast horde.

Fragments of steel fell from the sky, blooming with final sparks of light against the red Ion Shield, like a carnival before the end of the world.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The approaching Galaxy Beasts began to frantically bite, ram, and spit beams of light, continuously bombarding the Ion Shield.

In the underground power supply field, tons of star stone ore crystals turned into fragments, supporting this final line of defense.

The consumption was astronomical every second.

"Attack."

A cold command came through the communications.

In an instant, everyone's combat suits covered their bodies, and they entered their combat mechs.

The brilliant glow of nuclear reactors ignited on the fleets as they roared and set sail.

The ground defense system, coordinated and modified by three Master-level Star Mechanics, also activated simultaneously.

Photon turrets, lightning nets, Iron Dome devices, and more all entered combat status.

"Prepare... East Sector 3, East Sector 5, West Sector 6... Restan-class Ion Defense System regional shutdown."

"Countdown, 5... 4... 3... 2... 1, attack!"

In an instant, several sections of the red Ion Shield on the dome vanished, and the large swaths of Galaxy Beasts flaunting their power above couldn't react in time and plunged straight down.

Before they could stabilize their bodies, the attacks from below had already arrived.

The railguns on the starships, the ground defense devices, the portable hand cannons on the mechs, and the ability attacks from the Transcendents formed a dense barrage that tore these defenseless Galaxy Beasts into pieces in an instant.

Not even a trace of flesh remained; they were vaporized by the high temperatures of the explosions.

But soon, the Galaxy Beast horde reacted and roared as they surged toward the gaps in the Ion Shield, rushing down like a dense torrent.

"Hey, you damn beasts, taste your grandpa's power!"

In East Sector 3, the 'Dark Destruction Legion' soldiers soared into the sky, piloting the improved Titan IV mechs temporarily issued by the Imperial Mining Zone.

Compared to the obsolete second generation, this improved version not only had its most criticized transmission system improved, but the metal used for construction was replaced with more solid and lightweight Transcendent synthetic materials, increasing both protective capabilities and agility.

It was considered quite good equipment among the Imperial non-frontline troops.

Hundreds of mechs, under the cover of starship artillery, charged into the horde.

The ten-meter-long kinetic cutting blades were at full power, and a B-rank Ironback Beast, known for its defense, lasted less than three seconds before being split in two from the head down.

The monster's final counterattack before death, after being weakened by the mech's own shield, only left three white marks on the mech's surface.

"Hahaha, this is the kind of stuff a man should use!"

A soldier roared excitedly.

In the past, when facing a B-rank Galaxy Beast, they needed dozens of soldiers to work together to slowly wear it down; they could never have easily killed it one-on-one like this.

But no matter how powerful technological weapons are, they require the support of energy.

As more and more monsters squeezed into the gaps, the clearing speed of the covering fleets gradually failed to keep up with the rate at which the monsters were increasing.

Titan mechs soon became surrounded.

Bang! Bang!

Attacks from all directions quickly shattered the mechs' defensive shields, and the thick alloy became riddled with holes.

Even worse, in order to break through the siege, the Titan mechs used their handheld weapons and mounted turrets at full power, causing the energy supply from their three small reactors to gradually deplete.

Boom!

Finally, a Titan mech, with its kinetic system damaged, failed to dodge in time and had its reactor damaged by a single strike from a B-rank Galaxy Beast.

Seeing that death was inevitable, the mech pilot did not hesitate to trigger the self-destruct sequence; the remaining two reactors immediately contracted violently, and a powerful surge of energy burst forth.

"You damn beasts, let's die together!"

With a roar, he spread his arms, and under the transmission sensing, the Titan mech moved in sync, tightly hugging a B-rank Galaxy Beast as brilliant sparks lit up once again, blowing everything within several hundred meters into smithereens.

This seemed to be a signal, as other mechs also reached their limits, and the same sounds of explosions rang out one after another!

At this moment, the entire Blackstone Star coalition began to suffer heavy casualties.