232: Chapter 232 The Insect Swarm Darkens the Sky! Sweeping Across the Stars!

"Fire!!!"

The moment Emperor Chen Fan's command exploded like a thunderclap, the black Zerg Swarm surging from the direction of the Zerg Home World had already slammed into everyone's field of vision!

The dark starry sky of the Dead Silence Abyss was completely filled at this moment.

A torrent composed of 1.2 trillion Zerg Swarm members was not a formation at all, but a living, constantly wriggling black curtain!

The vanguard flying bug swarm in the front beat their wings in unison, their dense bodies completely obscuring the distant starlight; the originally pitch-black universe was now so tightly compressed by this boundless blackness that not even a sliver of light could penetrate it.

Their speed was terrifyingly fast, far exceeding the cruising speed of conventional warships; within just a few breaths, they had crossed a distance of hundreds of thousands of kilometers, and the bug swarm, which had been nothing but red light dots on the star map, had now transformed into an overwhelming physical entity!

"Hiss—!!!"

The sharp hissing spread across the entire starry sky through the pheromone network, and even through the vacuum and the warship armor, it seemed to pierce the eardrums and drill into the bone marrow, making one's scalp tingle.

The flying combat bugs at the very front were each over three meters long, their scythe-like forelimbs glinting with cold light, and the flapping of their wings could even create spatial ripples in the vacuum.

They charged forward without fear of death, with almost no gaps between them, forming a black bug wall thousands of kilometers thick, slamming fiercely toward the Star River Empire fleet!

Following closely behind were the mountain-sized Self-Exploding Bugs.

Beneath their carapaces were fully packed, highly corrosive energy sacs, and the explosive power of each Self-Exploding Bug was comparable to a medium-sized anti-ship missile.

Millions of Self-Exploding Bugs rolled forward like a moving ammunition depot, waiting only to reach the fleet to blow open a gap in the defense line with their lives!

In the middle and rear sections of the Zerg Swarm were the Siege Bugs, over a hundred meters in length.

The sharp horns on their heads shimmered with a cold luster, and their heavy biological carapaces could withstand the bombardment of conventional naval guns; they were the sharpest battering rams of the Zerg Swarm.

Over a hundred Royal Zerg General were scattered among the Siege Bugs; their size was comparable to small warships, and energy halos flowed over their dark purple carapaces.

Their twelve compound eyes were locked onto the nodes of the Star River Empire fleet's formation, constantly adjusting the swarm's charge route via pheromones—they were the brains of the entire bug tide!

What was even more alarming was that this boundless bug tide was not charging mindlessly!

While the main Zerg Swarm pressed forward head-on, two flanking swarms, each numbering over a hundred billion, were like two giant black pythons, winding around the asteroid belt and spatial turbulence to flank the Star River Empire fleet!

Countless invisible scout bugs had long since infiltrated the blind spots around the fleet, preparing to seize the opportunity to infiltrate and paralyze the warships' engines and fire control systems!

This was a perfect hunting formation evolved through hundreds of thousands of years of slaughter!

Frontal crushing, flanking, infiltration, and sneak attacks—all interlinked and airtight!

Wherever they passed, the massive asteroids several kilometers wide floating in the starry sky were instantly submerged by the bug tide, their sharp mouthparts chewing frantically; in just three seconds, they were gnawed away without even a grain of rock dust left behind!

The asteroid belts along the way were like paper thrown into a raging fire, instantly devoured!

Even the stray energy radiation and interstellar dust in the universe were completely absorbed by this terrifying bug tide!

They were like a living cosmic black hole; wherever they passed, everything was destroyed, and not a blade of grass grew!

"My god..."

Inside a frigate of the Star River Empire fleet's vanguard formation, a young soldier who had just enlisted looked at the black bug tide covering the sky outside the porthole, his face instantly turning pale, and he subconsciously gripped the rifle in his hand.

He had grown up listening to stories of the Zerg Swarm invasion three hundred years ago, but only today did he truly understand why the Old Federation had retreated step by step in the face of the bug tide, and why countless people would reveal deep-seated fear whenever the Zerg Swarm was mentioned.

This was not a war at all; this was a devouring from the abyss!

"What are you afraid of?!"

A veteran beside him slapped his shoulder hard, his tiger eyes wide open as he pointed at the bug tide outside the porthole and roared: "Just because the Old Federation couldn't stop them three hundred years ago doesn't mean our Star River Empire can't! We have anti-Zerg weapons, we have Emperor Chen Fan leading us, and we have billions of compatriots behind us! We will kill as many of these beasts as come!"

"Main gun charging complete! Ready to fire at any time!" The fire control officer's voice, filled with irrepressible fighting spirit, echoed through the entire command cabin.

"Aim and fire! Avenge our compatriots who died tragically three hundred years ago! Fight for our home!" The captain waved his fist and roared!

"Fight for the Star River Empire! Fight for Emperor Chen Fan!"

The soldiers of the entire warship roared in unison, and the original fear and panic were completely transformed into boiling fighting spirit at this moment!

It wasn't just this frigate; on all 12,000 warships of the entire Star River Empire expeditionary fleet, tens of millions of soldiers looked at the surging bug tide with no hint of retreat, only shared hatred and unyielding determination!

Three hundred years ago, humanity was divided and infighting, forced to flee in panic when facing the bug tide, using the lives of countless compatriots to fill the gaps.

Today, three hundred years later, they had unified all of human territory, gathered the strength of all humanity, held weapons specifically designed against the Zerg Swarm, and were led by the invincible Emperor Chen Fan—what did they have to fear?!

Inside the command center of the Dawn Mothership, everyone looked at the bug tide covering the sky on the holographic screen, their faces showing no panic, only an increasingly fervent fighting spirit.

"Emperor Chen Fan! The bug tide vanguard has entered the optimal range of the main guns! The flanking swarms have been locked onto by the Shadow Fleet!" Commander Lei Meng stepped forward, his fighting spirit soaring in his gilded armor, the veins on his hand gripping the command sword bulging—he was just waiting for Emperor Chen Fan's order to turn this bug tide into dust!

"Commander Su Qingyue, activate the pheromone interference device!" Emperor Chen Fan sat on his throne, his gaze sweeping calmly over the black curtain surging toward them, his voice devoid of any ripples.

"By your command! Pheromone interference device, activating across the entire domain!" Commander Su Qingyue pressed the red button on the console with her fingertips, her cold voice echoing through the hall.

Hum—!!!

The next second, with the Dawn Mothership as the core and eight space fortresses as nodes, an invisible special frequency fluctuation instantly swept across the entire battlefield!

This was an anti-Zerg weapon specifically developed by Commander Su Qingyue and her scientific research team based on the communication laws of Zerg Swarm pheromones!

It could completely disrupt the pheromone transmission of the Zerg Swarm, paralyze their command links, and cause the originally tightly coordinated bug tide to fall into total chaos!

The effect was immediate!

The bug tide, which had originally been in a seamless charging formation, instantly experienced widespread chaos!

The flying combat bugs at the very front suddenly lost their command and began crashing into each other like headless flies; many bugs even collided directly, their sharp forelimbs piercing their companions' bodies.

The Self-Exploding Bugs that were originally preparing to charge in unison lost their attack signals and writhed frantically in place, not daring to take another step forward.

The commands issued by those Royal Zerg General were completely intercepted by the interference device and could not reach the subordinate swarms at all!

The flanking swarms lost their coordinate guidance altogether, crashing headlong into an asteroid belt and deviating completely from their intended route!

"Well done!" Commander Lei Meng laughed loudly, his eyes flashing with brilliance, "Emperor Chen Fan! The swarm's command system has been paralyzed! Please order to fire!"

Emperor Chen Fan slowly raised his hand, his deep gaze sweeping across the entire battlefield, finally landing on the chaotic black bug tide, and his fingertips fell heavily as his voice, sounding like a thunderclap, spread to every warship in the fleet:

"Full firepower coverage! Carpet bombardment!"

"Blast them to pieces for me!"

"By your command!!!"

The entire army roared in unison!

The 12,000 Main Fleet warships, 7,000 destroyers, and eight space fortresses, which had long been ready to go, erupted with terrifying power capable of destroying heaven and earth in the same instant!

Boom, boom, boom—!!!

Countless dark blue anti-Zerg shells, like a meteor shower across the sky, roared out from the fleet formation, tearing through the dark starry sky and slamming fiercely into the chaotic bug tide!

Every shell that hit the swarm instantly exploded into a ball of dark blue plasma flame!

The million-degree high temperature spread frantically, neurotoxins spread rapidly through the Zerg Swarm's body fluids, and gene-disintegration factors directly tore apart their genetic chains!

The Zerg Swarm touched by the flames let out shrill hisses, their hard exoskeletons melted rapidly, their bodies twitched as they lost the ability to act, and within a few seconds, they completely turned into a puddle of lifeless black slime!

Even more terrifyingly, these dark blue flames would spread frantically among the swarm! One bug ignited, and dozens or hundreds of bugs around it would be instantly engulfed by the flames, creating chain explosions and chain casualties!

The black bug tide that had originally covered the sky was, under this overwhelming artillery fire, like paper scorched by a raging fire, instantly cleared of huge blank areas one after another!

The billions of vanguard combat bugs charging at the front didn't even touch the edge of the Star River Empire fleet before being completely annihilated in the artillery fire, without even a trace of genetic residue left behind!

And this was just the beginning!

The 120 Star Destroyer in the center of the formation had finished charging their main guns, and at this moment, they simultaneously let out a roar that shook the galaxy!

120 thick beams of annihilation energy, like 120 divine punitive thunderbolts piercing heaven and earth, slammed fiercely into the most dense core area of the bug tide!

Boom—!!!

An energy storm capable of destroying heaven and earth exploded instantly! The starry sky for hundreds of thousands of kilometers in diameter was completely swallowed by this terrifying energy!

The area where the core Siege Bugs and Royal Zerg General were located was instantly cleared completely under the salvo of the Star Destroyer!

Over 100 billion Zerg Swarm members, including dozens of Royal Zerg General who hadn't had time to react, were instantly vaporized in the annihilation energy, leaving not even a trace of wreckage!

With just one round of salvo, nearly a third of the bug tide that had originally covered the sky was blasted away!

The entire starry sky was completely lit up by the dark blue artillery fire!

The Star River Empire fleet's artillery fire did not pause for a moment, pouring out like a torrential rain, with round after round of salvos exploding into balls of death flames within the bug tide!

The million-strong Mecha Legion led by Commander Ling Shuang also moved at this moment!

"All mecha formations! Charge with me! Slay the remaining Royal Zerg General! Clean up the stragglers!"

At Commander Ling Shuang's order, the Cold Frost mecha took the lead, its rear thrusters erupting with dazzling blue light as it charged into the swarm that had been scattered by the artillery fire first!

The annihilation blade in its hand was coated with high-concentration genetic toxin; wherever the blade passed, whether it was remaining Siege Bugs or injured Royal Zerg General, they were cut in two and completely annihilated!

300,000 Dawn Ace Mecha followed closely behind, like 300,000 sharp daggers stabbing fiercely into the gaps of the swarm!

Particle cannons fired in unison, clearing swathes of the remaining swarm; battle blades swung, slaying the Zerg generals who were putting up a desperate fight!

The bug tide, which had already been routed by the artillery fire, lost its footing completely under the assault of the Mecha Legion!

A Royal Zerg General that had luckily dodged the Star Destroyer salvo was leading millions of remaining swarm members in a counterattack, but ran head-on into Commander Ling Shuang.

The Cold Frost mecha performed a short-range spatial jump, instantly appearing above its head, and swung the annihilation blade with all its might, carrying the power to destroy heaven and earth, splitting its massive body in two from head to tail!

The toxin spread throughout its body instantly, and this Royal Zerg General, whose combat power was comparable to a Star Destroyer, didn't even have time to scream before it completely turned into a puddle of slime!

"The forty-seventh Royal Zerg General, eliminated!" Commander Ling Shuang shouted coldly, her mecha not stopping, charging toward the next Zerg general again!

On the battlefield, a one-sided slaughter was unfolding!

The Zerg Swarm, which had once made human civilization tremble with fear, was vulnerable in front of the Star River Empire's steel torrent and anti-Zerg weapons!

Their proud exoskeletons, regeneration abilities, and corrosive attacks completely lost their effect in front of the weapons specifically designed against them!

The faster they charged, the faster they died! The more fiercely they counterattacked, the more thoroughly they were annihilated!

Deep in the core of the Zerg Home World, the Zerg Emperor sensed the situation on the front line through pheromones, and within its twelve blood-red compound eyes, an incredible rage and disbelief erupted!

Its 1.2 trillion-strong bug tide, the Zerg Swarm main force it had cultivated for hundreds of thousands of years, was actually so vulnerable under the artillery fire of the human fleet?!

In just over ten minutes, it had lost nearly half of its troops?!

"Hiss—!!!"

The Zerg Emperor issued another sharp hiss that shook the entire galaxy, filled with endless rage and killing intent, frantically issuing the order to retreat!

It knew that if it kept fighting, its main swarm would be completely wiped out here! The humans' weapons completely countered its Zerg Swarm! Continuing to charge was just throwing their lives away!

They had to retreat to the hive and rely on the defense system of the Zerg Home World to block the human attack!

Following the Zerg Emperor's order, the already routed bug tide instantly retreated frantically like a receding tide!

The remaining Zerg Swarm threw away their armor and abandoned their weapons, fleeing frantically toward the direction of the Zerg Home World, not even caring about their injured companions, only regretting that they weren't born with two more pairs of wings!

"Want to run?!" Commander Lei Meng looked at the fleeing bug tide and roared, "Emperor Chen Fan! The swarm has been routed and is fleeing! Please order a full pursuit!"

Emperor Chen Fan stood up slowly, his gaze looking toward the direction of the bug tide's escape, toward the Zerg Home World deep in the darkness, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

Want to run now? Too late!

He spoke slowly, his voice carrying unquestionable majesty, echoing throughout the entire army:

"All forces, listen to the order! Full pursuit!"

"Target—Zerg Home World!"

"Seize the momentum to drive straight in, surround the Zerg Swarm hive!"

"Never give them any chance to catch their breath!"

"By your command!!!"

The entire army roared in unison, the sound waves shaking the starry sky!

The Star River Empire fleet maintained its formation, engines fully engaged, like a silver-blue steel torrent, advancing at full speed toward the Zerg Home World along the direction of the bug tide's escape!

Commander Ling Shuang's Mecha Legion took the lead, hunting down the fleeing swarm from behind, constantly harvesting the lives of the remaining Zerg Swarm; Commander Lei Meng's Main Fleet followed closely behind, main guns firing continuously, clearing out the fleeing swarm, compressing their living space step by step; the eight space fortresses moved forward in sync, firmly protecting the rear of the fleet, ensuring that no stragglers could bypass them to launch a sneak attack.

The bug tide that had originally covered the sky and swept across the starry sky was now like a stray dog, fleeing frantically toward the hive; while the Star River Empire's steel torrent chased relentlessly from behind, artillery fire blazing, step by step driving straight into the Zerg Swarm's lair!

This war, which would determine the future of human civilization, had completely shifted from defensive counterattack to a comprehensive general offensive from this moment on!

The Zerg Swarm's doomsday was already close at hand!