171: Chapter 171 Encountering Resistance, the Battle Begins

The transport boat sliced through the Void Realm at the edge of the Asteroid Belt; the shadow zone ahead was like the open throat of a giant beast.

Inside the cabin, alarms blared without warning, and red light instantly flooded the entire cockpit.

"Enemy lock-on!" Chen Wuwang slammed his hand onto the command console, his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye flashing blue light rapidly. On the radar interface, three pieces of deathly still wreckage suddenly came to life; their metal shells peeled away layer by layer, revealing wriggling carapaces and embedded Psionic Cannon muzzles.

"It's not a smuggling ship... it's a mothership!" Aelia sprang from her seat, her wings instinctively spreading before being forced closed. She grabbed the Star Map Projector, "These Insectoids have been waiting for us!"

Before her voice faded, a stream of corrosive acid had already penetrated the shield, exploding into a cloud of green smoke at the rear of the transport boat.

The entire ship shuddered violently, and a "sizzle" of metal being gnawed came from the cabin walls.

"All hands, prepare for battle!" Chen Wuwang kicked open the hatch, his roar piercing the communication channel. "Plan change, frontal assault! Xiao Dao, take the mecha squad and hold the line!"

Five po xu type-2 mechas shot out of the transport boat like arrows from a bow, with the one piloted by Chen Xiaodao charging at the very front.

The cooling System of his left mechanical limb operated at full power, with pale blue light patterns flowing rapidly around the joints.

"Acid mist concentration exceeds limits, visual modules interfered with."

Just as the System prompt sounded, a Mantis-type Combat Insectoid lunged from behind an asteroid, its sickle-like forelimbs slamming hard toward the cockpit.

Chen Xiaodao's pupils constricted as the neural synchronization System instantly captured the attack trajectory.

He didn't retreat; instead, he surged forward, the mecha sliding half an inch to the side as his Laser Sword unsheathed simultaneously—

With a "shink," the insectoid's right limb was severed at the base, the wound charred and smoking.

"You think such tricks can stop me?" He sneered, flicking the sword tip to toss the remains away. The mecha beneath him used the counterforce to leap onto a floating Asteroid Core. "Come on! All of you, get the hell out here!"

His response was a dense barrage of shockwaves.

Dozens of small Worker Insects swarmed out from underground tunnels, carrying resonance crystals on their backs. High-frequency vibrations tore through the air, forming an invisible force field.

Two mechas instantly lost balance, stumbling back and crashing into the rock walls.

"Support team, fire!" Chen Wuwang shouted from the top of the transport boat.

Three portable Rune Cannon turrets were set up on both sides of Asteroid Core D-7, their muzzles glowing with an eerie blue light.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Three psionic shells whistled out, exploding one after another in the center of the insect swarm.

The energy shockwaves sent a large number of enemies flying; several larger commander insects exploded on the spot, green body fluids splashing everywhere.

But even more Insectoids crawled out from the cracks, their carapaces gleaming with a metallic luster, clearly having undergone some form of enhancement.

A four-legged rushing Hunter lunged suddenly, pouncing straight for the Rune Cannon turret that was currently charging.

"Watch out!" the logistics team leader roared, grabbing a charging device and hurling it.

The heavy iron object slammed hard into the insectoid's head, making a dull "clang" sound.

"Damn, this hide is harder than Profound Iron!" he cursed, rolling to dodge a second strike and quickly pressing the emergency signal button on his fingertip.

The mobile charging device hummed to life, current flowing through the wires into the turret's core.

The next second, the muzzle spat out a pillar of brilliant white light, piercing the Hunter from head to tail, its corpse twitching as it fell into the abyss.

Aelia knelt on a tilted asteroid, her Pulse Rifle firing in continuous bursts, each shot precisely hitting an insectoid's compound eye.

Catching a movement on the left high ground out of the corner of her eye, she immediately threw a flashbang.

The moment the intense light exploded, three lurking Assassin Insects were exposed, their six legs pinned to the rock surface as they prepared to launch an ambush.

Aelia's lips curled slightly as she turned her muzzle, a three-round burst blowing all of their heads off.

"You Chen Family people are crazy, and these insects aren't normal either," she whispered into the comms channel. "Their movements are too coordinated, like someone is directing them from behind."

Chen Wuwang didn't reply. He was staring at the data stream sent back by his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye—there was a faint energy resonance within those Insectoids, their frequencies synchronized like Puppets pulled by the same string.

"They aren't a wild swarm," he narrowed his eyes. "They're a trained unit."

Just then, a violent collision sound came from Chen Xiaodao's side.

In the shaking footage, he was seen surrounded by five large Guard Insects, his Laser Sword stuck in a corpse and unable to be pulled out.

One of the insectoids leaped high, its abdomen splitting open to spray a large glob of viscous acid.

"Shut down external sensors!" Chen Xiaodao gritted his teeth and ordered.

His vision instantly went black, relying solely on neural synchronization to sense the changes in the surrounding airflow.

He tilted his body at the critical moment; the acid grazed past the cockpit, corroding half of the armor.

"Trying to drown me?" He gave a sinister laugh, his left mechanical limb suddenly releasing an ultra-low temperature pulse, causing the air within several meters ahead to instantly freeze into frost.

The acid mist froze and fell to the ground, crackling.

Immediately after, he shattered the ice with a stomp, surging upward along with the mecha and swinging his sword in a horizontal sweep.

A cold light flashed, and three insectoid heads flew off. The remaining two didn't even have time to react before they were entangled by Rune Chains and dragged away by arriving clansmen.

"Nice work!" a young clansman shouted, his staff glowing with green light as he prepared to cast a mass healing spell.

But at that moment, the ground shook violently. More tunnel entrances opened, and dense swarms of Insectoids poured out like a tide.

They no longer attacked sporadically but split into several groups, pouncing on the mechas, turrets, and charging devices respectively, with clear targets and distinct tactics.

"Hold your ground!" Chen Wuwang jumped down from the transport boat, his Titanium Alloy Dagger spinning once in his palm. "Don't let them get near the core equipment!"

An old Cultivator formed hand seals, a golden lotus phantom appearing above his head.

He gave a low shout, and the petals flew out, each turning into a sharp blade that sliced through the approaching insect swarm.

But his stamina was draining rapidly. Before the third round of spellcasting was complete, two Worker Insects broke through the line and lunged behind him.

"Master!" A youth rushed over, his short blade stabbing hard into an insectoid's compound eye.

Foul-smelling liquid sprayed across his face, but he ignored it, dragging the corpse to shield the old man behind him.

"Good lad..." The old Cultivator panted and smiled, patting his disciple's shoulder before forming seals again. "Again!"

The Rune Cannons roared once more, and a rain of psionic shells covered the battlefield. The logistics team shuttled back and forth carrying charging boxes to replenish the mechas' power.

As warriors fell, others immediately took their places; as equipment was damaged, someone would immediately dismantle spare parts for on-site repairs.

Chen Xiaodao finally cleared the surrounding enemies, his mecha's chest heaving slightly as wisps of white steam vented from the cooling ports.

He wiped away sweat, looking at the insect tide still pouring out in the distance, and cursed under his breath, "They really are never-ending flies."

"Then swat them one by one," Chen Wuwang's voice sounded in the channel.

He stood on high ground, his gaze like a blade, scanning the field:

"Tell everyone, if anyone dares to take a step back today, I will personally gouge their name off the Ancestral Precept Monument!"

The clansmen responded in unison, their voices shaking the dust off the asteroids.

They reformed their ranks, with Cultivators in the rear and mechas in front, advancing in staggered groups of three.

Every strike was clean and decisive, and they refused to yield even an inch of ground.

Aelia put away her gun and took a silver badge from her waist, crushing it.

Ripples of data immediately appeared in the air, projecting the battlefield situation in real-time.

"You used a Family Heirloom?" Chen Wuwang frowned.

"Save your strength, now is not the time to argue about that," she said coldly. "Look to the left, there's movement under that Asteroid Core."

Before her voice fell, the ground in the entire area suddenly collapsed. Hundreds of new-type Burrowing Insects burst out, carrying small Psionic Cannons on their backs, their muzzles already fully charged.

"Scatter!" Chen Wuwang roared.

But it was a step too late. The first wave of cannon fire exploded, and three clansmen were instantly swallowed up.

In the reflection of the flames, Chen Xiaodao's eyes were bloodshot. He dove with his mecha, his Laser Sword slashing seven times, destroying that entire row of turrets.

"I'll fuck your ancestors!" he roared, kicking away the last Burrowing Insect, his sword tip pointing deep into the shadows. "Come out and fight me one-on-one if you have the guts! What kind of skill is hiding your head and showing your tail!"

His response was a low hum, as if some gargantuan object were awakening.

Chen Wuwang looked toward the deepest shadows, his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye constantly adjusting its focus.

There, a massive hexagonal carapace slowly rose, its surface covered in rune-like engravings, like a moving fortress.

"This is only the beginning." He gripped his dagger, his knuckles turning white.

The smoke on the battlefield had not yet dissipated, and the cries of battle still shook the heavens. The insectoid waves came one after another, and the clansmen gritted their teeth and held fast, their blood staining the cold asteroids red.

The cooling System of Chen Xiaodao's mecha's left arm was slightly overloaded, with wisps of white smoke rising from the vents. He leaned behind a rock for a brief rest, his breathing heavy.

In the distance, Chen Wuwang still stood on high ground, his figure like iron.