32: Sandworms burrow into the ground to steal homes

Li Zezhong's eyes flashed with a sharp glint: "Agreed. The vanguard of the beast tide has entered striking distance. Your Arrow Tower is strong; it will be responsible for the main suppressive fire on the left flank."

"My men will guard the right flank, focusing fire on the front to slow their speed. Hurry!"

His military training made him understand that cooperation was the only way to survive at this moment.

He immediately turned and issued orders to his Soldiers.

The Soldiers quickly moved into position, Shield Soldier in front, spearmen behind.

"Good." Mo Yan's sharp gaze swept over Li Zezhong and the Soldiers behind him. After confirming that the other party had no unusual movements, he responded in a deep voice, without any hesitation.

He also quickly turned and issued a series of clear commands to his Soldiers:

"Shield formation ready! Spearmen, prepare! Wang Wu, prioritize high-threat targets!"

Wang Wu gripped the cold, gleaming reinforced bow and arrows in his hand, his Battle Intent surging in his eyes. He responded in a deep voice, "Yes, sir."

Mo Yan paused, then lowered his head and said to Gun Gun, who was clinging tightly to his pant leg, "Gun Gun, stay close to me later. Don't run around!"

The Soldiers immediately formed a tight defensive formation, creating a stern line. From the gaps, reinforced long spears inlaid with wolf teeth protruded, shimmering with a bloodthirsty, cold light.

Gun Gun nervously hugged his bamboo, pressing tightly against Mo Yan's leg.

His eyes were wide as he watched the terrifying dust storm approaching.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The rumbling vibrations echoed through the heavens and earth, and the ground trembled violently, as if thousands of troops were galloping.

The yellowish-grey dust storm was already close, and countless figures churning within it could be clearly seen.

They were massive, python-like Strange Beast covered in a gruesome greyish-white carapace, with an oily sheen at the joints.

They had no eyes, only a terrifying mouth filled with sharp teeth, occupying one-third of their front body.

Like a gaping abyss, the monstrous maw was filled with layers of pale, sharp teeth, constantly twisting and grinding.

They emitted a grating, teeth-chattering friction sound!

Sandworms!

Dense and overwhelming!

"Fire arrows!" Mo Yan ordered in a deep voice.

Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!

The crossbow arms of the four LV2 Arrow Towers and two LV1 Arrow Towers suddenly tensed and then released, emitting a piercing twang.

Dense arrows, like a dark cloud, whistled, tearing through the dark red sky, shooting towards the sweeping yellowish-grey smoke!

Almost simultaneously, a sparser volley of arrows from Li Zezhong's side also shot through the air.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! Thud, thud, thud!

The arrow rain violently struck the vanguard of the Strange Beast horde.

Most of the arrows shot from Li Zezhong's side struck the Sandworms' hard carapaces, sparking and then bouncing off weakly, leaving only a few insignificant white marks.

The effect was minimal.

But the heavy arrows shot from Mo Yan's four LV2 Arrow Towers were a completely different sight!

They were like siege ballistas, striking the Sandworms with immense force.

"Clang!!"

Amidst dull thuds, the hard greyish-white carapaces were blasted with obvious dents and cracks.

Some heavy arrows, at tricky angles, even directly penetrated the carapace, deeply embedding themselves within the Sandworm's body!

The Sandworms directly hit by LV2 heavy arrows writhed silently but violently, their massive bodies suddenly stiffening, then slumping down.

They oozed large amounts of foul, turbid fluid, instantly submerged, crushed, and devoured by the frantically surging comrades behind them.

However, this level of damage, against the endless greyish-white tide of insects, was merely a few insignificant ripples.

The arrow rain only caused a momentary confusion and delay at the front of the Sandworm tide.

The speed of the Sandworm tide barely slowed, still surging frantically with a suffocating sense of oppression!

The sound of countless open mouths and hard carapaces rubbing together converged, forming a deafening noise.

It assaulted everyone's eardrums, causing irritation and a suffocating feeling in the chest.

Just as the Sandworm tide was less than a hundred meters from the territory wall, a sudden change occurred!

Crack! Crack!

Thousands of Sandworms at the very front seemed to receive some command.

Their massive bodies suddenly paused, their huge front mouths opened, and they furiously gnawed at the greyish-white hard ground beneath their feet!

Innumerable sharp teeth rotated and ground at high speed, emitting an ear-splitting, teeth-grinding scraping sound and the sound of rocks shattering.

The hard ground was easily broken open by them as if it were soft soil.

Shattered rocks and dust flew everywhere!

They were like giant drills, burrowing underground at an astonishing speed!

Immediately, countless rapidly arching earth waves and cracks appeared on the ground, extending frantically forward.

Soil churned, and dust permeated the air.

These underground trajectories skillfully bypassed the arrow rain and the sturdy walls ahead, aiming directly at the internal areas of both territories!

The grotesque underground advance routes were clearly visible, sending shivers down one's spine!

"No, they're burrowing! Watch your feet!" Li Zezhong was the first to notice that the Sandworms at the front were not being killed by the Arrow Tower.

Instead, they eerily vanished into the ground. His pupils contracted sharply, and he roared hoarsely.

The wall was useless.

No sooner had he spoken.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Less than twenty meters in front of Mo Yan's formation, the ground suddenly exploded!

A dozen Sandworms' huge, tooth-filled mouths burst out of the earth.

They twisted their greyish-white, disgusting bodies, bringing with them foul-smelling mucus and splashing dirt, appearing without warning before the Soldiers!

The closest Sandworm burst out of the ground less than five paces from the front-row Shield Soldier.

Foul-smelling saliva dripped from its spiral teeth, and its massive maw suddenly opened, bringing with it a gust of wind mixed with dust and stench, viciously biting at the front-most Shield Soldier!

"Hold the line!" Mo Yan roared.

The front-row Shield Soldier roared, instinctively channeling their limited spiritual Qi into their shields.

Bang!!

The Sandworm's massive mouth violently struck the shield, emitting a dull thud.

The spiritual light on the shield flickered violently, and the Shield Soldier was knocked back half a step by the immense impact, his entire arm numb, almost unable to grip the shield.

But he gritted his teeth, propped the shield with his shoulder, and stubbornly withstood the blow!

The spearmen beside him reacted extremely quickly. Taking advantage of the Sandworm's attack interval, their spears shot out like lightning.

Pfft!

The spear precisely pierced deep into the Sandworm's open mouth.

Foul-smelling liquid splattered out.

Aow--!

The injured Sandworm twisted frantically, its immense strength causing the spearman to stumble.

But more spears followed, savagely stabbing into its body.

However, this was just the beginning.

More Sandworms emerged from underground.

In front of Mo Yan's left flank, in front of Li Zezhong's right flank, and even in the open space connecting the two territories!

The ground kept exploding like boiling water.

One Sandworm after another grotesquely emerged from the ground, their numbers increasing.

In a flash, within the two territories, hundreds of Sandworms appeared!

They ignored the external Arrow Tower fire, directly pulling the battlefield into the interior of the territories.

Screams, roars, the sound of carapaces shattering, and teeth tearing instantly erupted into a cacophony!

Brutal close-quarters combat simultaneously broke out within both territories. Blood and yellow sand splattered, and every inch of land became a meat grinder.

"Hold the line! Three per group! Free attack!" Mo Yan ordered again, his voice steady.

He knew that once the formation was broken, facing their thick skin, massive bodies, and terrifying teeth, the casualties would be devastating.

Upon receiving the order, the Soldiers immediately formed groups of three, covering each other back-to-back, and began a brutal struggle against the constantly emerging Sandworms around them.

The Shield Soldier were responsible for blocking and attracting the Sandworms' attacks, creating opportunities for their comrades, while the spearmen sought opportunities to attack the Sandworms' mouths.

The specially reinforced long spears, improved by Li Gang and inlaid with wolf teeth, played a crucial role at this moment, causing significant damage to the Sandworms' soft mouth tissues.

From time to time, Sandworms, pierced by several spears, twisted frantically and crashed down.

Mo Yan's eyes narrowed. He saw a Sandworm cunningly Breakthrough the gap between two Soldiers, twisting and rushing towards the rear.

He immediately whispered, "Gun Gun, put the same effort into this as you do into gnawing on Yuan Stones. Go deal with that Sandworm on the left!"

"Gu... Gun Gun... go!" Gun Gun responded in a childish voice, clearly trembling, hugging the vibrant green bamboo even tighter.

But in his eyes, a fierce glint, forced out, flashed.