218: Chapter 218 The Zerg army is pressing in, the defense system is activated.

He kept his eyes closed, his breathing steady, the faint, almost imperceptible tapping sensation becoming increasingly clear, as if a voice was urging him.

Immediately after, his right Mechanical Prosthetic Eye flashed suddenly. It wasn't an illusion; it was a real, solid vibration, like a needle gently tapping three times from outside his skull.

He opened his eyes abruptly.

A blue light flashed in his left eye, and his consciousness instantly connected to the sky radar projection—

Nine groups of black dots were approaching the Main Peak at extremely high speed, their trajectory forming a fan-shaped siege. Every point carried abnormal spiritual energy fluctuations, the frequency perfectly matching the neural pulses of the Zerg.

"They are here." He said in a low voice. The voice was not loud, but it felt like a blade cleaving into the silence.

He leaped up and strode out of the inner hall, his cloak flapping loudly behind him.

The stone steps shattered beneath his feet; he took ten steps at a time, heading straight for the central console.

Along the way, the clansmen had not yet sensed anything amiss. Beside the Medicinal Field, children were running about, craftsmen were squatting at the workshop doors smoking, and the elderly were sitting under the eaves basking in the sun.

No one knew that the sky was about to collapse.

Chen Wuwang's fingers flew as he entered the Level 3 secret code into the crystal control console. Fingerprint, iris print, and spiritual energy wave frequency—the triple verification passed, and the System emitted a low hum.

He bit his fingertip and pressed a drop of blood onto the core rune area. A dull roar came from beneath the entire Main Peak, as if some giant beast was slowly opening its eyes.

"The entire clan, prepare for defense! Level 1 response!" He roared this, and the voice spread across every inch of land through the spiritual amplification speakers.

The alarm sounded.

It was not the sharp, piercing kind, but a low-frequency oscillation, like war drums beating from the center of the earth, one beat after another, making people's chests numb with vibration.

Everyone who had been idling suddenly looked up, their eyes full of confusion and terror.

"What happened?"

"Something wrong again?"

"Is it the bugs coming again?"

Some people began to tremble, and a child cried out on the spot, only to have their mouth tightly covered by their mother.

On a distant hilltop, a few young Cultivators patrolling trembled, almost dropping their long spears.

The horizon changed.

The originally clear sky seemed to have been splashed with ink; black shadows layered over one another, spreading across and blotting out the sun.

That was the Zerg army.

Thousands of Flying Locusts flew over, their carapaces gleaming with a cold, eerie green light, their compound eyes densely packed, each one scanning the ground for heat sources.

They were neither fast nor slow, like a disaster destined to descend, steadily pressing down on the Chen Family Main Peak.

The earth began to tremble slightly.

It was not an earthquake; it was the resonance of billions of insect feet stepping on the surface.

The leaves of the spiritual plants in the Medicinal Field swayed in unison, ripples appeared in the well water, and the copper bells under the eaves jingled chaotically.

An old man knelt down.

"It's over... We can't escape this time..."

A young man hugged his head and crouched on the ground, his teeth chattering: "I haven't even taken a wife yet... I don't want to die..."

Fear spread like a plague.

Just then, nine beams of light shot up into the sky from around the mountain.

The first erupted from the Eastern Ridge cliff, tearing through the clouds; the second burst from the Western Valley's earth veins, piercing straight into the firmament; the third, the fourth...

They lit up one after another, as if a sleeping giant had finally awakened.

The nine beams of light converged in the high sky, interweaving into a net, and finally condensed into a semi-transparent golden shield, enveloping the entire Chen Family Main Peak.

The light screen flowed, and runes moved like a river.

The ancient Formations carved deep within the mountain and the spiritual energy conduits buried underground were fully activated; the power of technology and cultivation reached a perfect Fusion in this moment.

Fine ripples appeared on the surface of the shield, like the surface of water blown by the wind, but no matter how violent the external airflow was, it remained motionless.

The mecha patrol team automatically ascended into the sky.

Six heavy defensive mechas ejected from the underground hangar, hovering at the edge of the shield, their muzzles aimed at the insect swarm in the sky.

They did not attack, only formed a Formation, using their cold metal bodies to tell the enemy: Someone is guarding this place.

The alarm sound changed.

From the initial low-frequency war drums, it shifted to a steady, looping sound, as if a heartbeat had regained its rhythm.

This sound made many people subconsciously breathe a sigh of relief.

But no one dared to relax.

That black cloud in the sky had pressed to within ten miles. The individuals in the front row of the Flying Locusts swarm were already clearly visible; their wings spanned nearly two meters, their mouthparts twisted like sawteeth, and there was no emotion in their compound eyes, only the command to feed.

"They... are really here..." a young girl murmured, clutching a short sword tightly in her hand, her knuckles turning white.

"What are you afraid of!" A middle-aged man beside her kicked over a wooden box in front of her. "The Head of the Chen Family has already activated the shield! What are you cowering for? Hold your sword well and wait for orders!"

"But can we win? So many people died last time..."

"Shut up!" another person roared. "Now is not the time to think about whether you'll die or not! Your parents are still inside! Your siblings are still sleeping! Do you want them to be gnawed alive into bones by the bugs?"

The crowd fell silent for a moment.

Then, someone stood up.

A lame old craftsman walked to a high place with his crutch, took off his hat, and threw it on the ground:

"I've spent thirty years forging rune armor, not to kneel and wait for death today! Who is coming with me to the logistics group to move ammunition?"

"I'll go!"

"I'll go too!"

"Count me in!"

More and more people stood out.

Women picked up medicine chests and ran toward the infirmary, teenagers spontaneously formed squads to count weapons, and Cultivators lined up to take their posts, their eyes gradually changing from panic to ruthlessness.

Just then, Chen Wuwang walked onto the central high platform.

He stood beside the shield control pillar, his silver hair pulled straight by the wind, the blue light of his left Mechanical Prosthetic Eye undying, his right hand resting on the edge of the console, like a war god who would never fall.

He did not shout.

He simply raised his hand and pointed to the black cloud on the horizon.

Everyone looked where he was pointing.

The next second, he spoke. His voice was not loud, but it pierced through the wind, the insect cries, and the alarm, slamming hard into everyone's ears:

"As long as I am here, the home remains!"

He paused, and a cold sneer curled the corner of his mouth.

"If they dare to come, let them be buried in a sea of fire."

The crowd exploded.

It was not cheers; it was something in their Bloodline that had been ignited.

Someone pulled out a blade and slammed it into the ground, someone beat their chest and roared, and an old man raised his crutch with tears in his eyes, pointing to the sky.

A young man wiped his face, grabbed an iron spear from the ground, and roared: "Kill!"

"Kill, kill, kill!"

The voices joined together, like a tide crashing against a reef, exploding thunderously.

Chen Wuwang did not speak again.

He turned and returned to the console, pressing both hands onto the dual-core crystal pillar, continuously pouring his spiritual power into it.

The shield trembled slightly, the speed of the rune flow accelerated, the mecha patrol team adjusted their Formation in sync, and all defensive nodes entered the highest state of standby.

The insect swarm on the horizon had advanced to within five miles.

The Flying Locusts began to form layered ranks, and the outlines of even larger individuals faintly emerged from the rear.

The insect tunnels on the ground were also vibrating; Soldier Bugs and Earth-walking Scorpions were gathering from all directions, their target clear—the seams of the Main Peak shield.

But what they did not know was that beneath the shield, countless micro-monitoring Formations had been activated, and every inch of land was being scanned.

Any path attempting to breach the defense would be locked on to immediately.

Chen Wuwang stared at the horizon, his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye constantly refreshing data streams.

He did not smile, nor was he angry.

He simply spat out three words coldly:

"Wait for my command."