TCPUAAV Chapter 59

 

Ruan Shiqing connected to 09’s comms, sharing the positions of the remaining Zergs with him. He also contacted Xiong Yuanyuan, who had gone to alert others, instructing him to gather as many people as possible and set up a wider encirclement to prevent any Zergs from escaping.

 

Once everything was in place, Ruan Shiqing turned back to the screen, where the red markers continued to shift slowly.

 

Taking aim—He fired.

 

A plasma explosion erupted in the distance, sending metal debris flying.

 

A massive Zerg shrieked, tumbling out from its hiding place within the scrap piles.

 

Without hesitation, Ruan Shiqing fired another shot, obliterating it.

 

Then, he moved on to the next red dot.

 

Almost simultaneously, 09 took down another Zerg, splitting off from Ruan Shiqing to hunt separately.

 

After five insectoids were eliminated, the remaining six, sensing the danger, no longer stayed hidden.

 

Instead, they emerged from their cover.

 

The six split into two groups, three charged toward Ruan Shiqing, and the other three targeted 09, hovering in midair.

 

Ruan Shiqing carefully observed these bizarre creatures.

 

Each had the same hardened exoskeleton, flat segmented bodies, and numerous sharp limbs. Their crimson compound eyes gleamed in the dim moonlight.

 

But what was more unsettling—They were intelligent.

 

They weren’t attacking mindlessly.

 

These Zergs were thinking.

 

Ruan Shiqing couldn’t help but wonder—What was it like for the soldiers on the frontlines?

 

Facing swarms of these enormous monsters, knowing that every kill meant nothing because countless more would follow…

 

His fingers danced across the control panel.

 

The armored walker took a step forward, its cannon locking onto the nearest Zerg. The creature recognized the threat—It didn’t retreat.

 

Instead, it lunged forward, its thick, razor-sharp appendages swinging toward him.

 

At that exact moment, Ruan Shiqing fired.

 

The plasma cannon roared.

 

The Zerg’s head exploded in a spray of green ichor, its massive body crashing to the ground, writhing and screeching in agony.

 

Ruan Shiqing was about to fire another shot to finish it off, but suddenly—A heavy impact shook the walker.

 

Bang! Bang! Bang!

 

Loud, rapid strikes pounded against the cockpit armor.

 

The other two Zergs had taken advantage of his attack.

 

One had leapt onto the walker’s top, using its fangs and razor-sharp limbs to hack at the armored plating.

 

The other was assaulting the walker’s mechanical legs, striking at its weak points.

 

Coordinated attacks.

 

Deliberate tactics.

 

These Zergs weren’t just fierce predators—They understood strategy.

 

Sacrificing one to distract him, while the other two went for a critical attack.

 

Ruan Shiqing’s eyes darkened.

 

His fingers moved swiftly across the console.

 

Under his control, the armored walker spun sharply, throwing off the Zerg clinging to its top.

 

Then…

 

Whirr!

 

Multiple razor-edged rotary blades extended from the walker’s legs.

 

The Titanium-steel blades spun at high speed, turning the mechanical limbs into a shredding vortex.

 

The Zerg was caught mid-lunge.

 

In an instant—

 

Half of its head was shredded into pulp.

 

The one that had been thrown off roared in fury.

 

Now fully enraged, it charged straight at Ruan Shiqing, its remaining limbs flailing wildly.

 

But before it could get within two meters—Boom!

 

Ruan Shiqing fired again.

 

The plasma blast blew its head apart, ending it instantly.

 

As the battle ended, 09’s voice crackled through the comms.

 

“Sir, 09 has completed the mission!”

 

The small golden robot deactivated his anti-gravity thrusters, descending slowly.

 

His metal arms waved excitedly, his whole body vibrating with joy.

 

Had it not been for the inappropriate setting, he would have broken into dance right then and there.

 

But his excitement quickly faded when he noticed his meticulously maintained metal body was now covered in scratches and dents.

 

Fuming, 09 stomped on the nearest Zerg corpse.

 

“These things are SO annoying!”

 

Ruan Shiqing climbed out of the walker, scanning the pile of Zerg corpses.

 

Not far away, Xiong Yuanyuan arrived with reinforcements, panting as he ran over.

 

Seeing the grisly sight, his voice still carried lingering fear.

 

“I thought this was going to be a brutal battle.”

 

When he had gone to recruit people, the mere mention of Zergs had terrified most of the outer city residents.

 

Only a handful had been willing to step up.

 

Everyone had come armed to the teeth, expecting a desperate fight for survival.

 

Yet—None of them had needed to fire a single shot.

 

Instead, they had watched from afar as Ruan Shiqing’s armored walker dominated the battlefield.

 

One of the helpers muttered in awe, “If we had these on the frontlines, wouldn’t the Zergs be wiped out in no time?”

 

It was a casual remark, but Ruan Shiqing’s expression shifted subtly.

 

He responded calmly, “The Zergs swarms on the frontlines are countless. If this machine were surrounded, its movement would be restricted, and it would be overwhelmed.”

 

That was the real danger.

 

A single Zerg wasn’t terrifying.

 

What was terrifying was an endless tide of them.

 

But what if the walker was made even bigger?

 

Ruan Shiqing pressed the thought to the back of his mind for now.

 

He instructed, “The shop has infrared scanners. Each of you take one and sweep the outer city. We need to confirm there are no survivors.”

 

The volunteers agreed immediately, helping Xiong Yuanyuan transport the Zerg corpses back to the repair shop before heading out to search the city.

 

Twelve massive Zerg corpses now cluttered the shop’s courtyard, taking up half the space.

 

The land vehicles and hover bikes had to be moved outside.

 

Xiong Fangfang, who had been watching over the cub, gazed at the stack of grotesque Zerg corpses and shuddered.

 

“How the hell did so many of these things end up on B3024?”

 

Ruan Shiqing shook his head.

 

“No idea. There hasn’t been any news about a front-line breach.”

 

The Galactic Empire’s four primary battlefronts were: Northeast Sector – Syracuse, Southeast Sector – Tingis, Northwest Sector – Ota, Southwest Sector – Melches.

 

These four regions formed the Empire’s defensive perimeter, shielding the central territories.

 

Throughout the millennia-long war between the Empire and the Zergs, there had been victories and defeats.

 

But not once had the defensive line ever been breached.

 

B3024 was remote—but it was still well within the Empire’s central regions.

 

These Zergs had somehow bypassed the front-line defenses and infiltrated deep into the central regions—Something was very wrong.

 

Ruan Shiqing pinched the bridge of his nose, preparing to contact Mr. Rong.

 

But before he could, the silent little cub tugged at his sleeve.

 

Perhaps it was the moonlight, but the cub’s eyes seemed redder than usual, and the tendrils on his forehead twitched restlessly, a clear sign of anxious distress.

 

“What’s wrong? Are you scared?” Ruan Shiqing asked gently.

 

He assumed the cub had been frightened by the grotesque Zerg corpses.

 

But the cub shook his head, impatiently gripping his sleeve and shaking it before pointing southwest—then upward.

 

Ruan Shiqing didn’t understand his meaning.

 

Squatting down, he ruffled the cub’s soft hair patiently.

 

“What are you trying to say?”

 

The cub’s tendrils twitched even faster.

 

He pointed at the piled-up insectoid corpses, as if about to gesture further, but then, his tendrils suddenly froze.

 

A moment later, he tilted his head up, staring at the sky.

 

Slowly, his tendrils drooped, his whole posture sagging in defeat.

 

The small cub lowered his head, looking utterly lost and helpless.

 

Ruan Shiqing comforted him for a long time before he finally perked up a little.

 

After setting him down on his special chair in the workshop, Ruan Shiqing dialed Mr. Rong’s comms.

 

At that moment, Rong Heng was in the combat training room, teaching two cubs hand-to-hand combat techniques.

 

He wore a black combat suit, its flexible material hugging his powerful, well-defined muscles—causing the two cubs to stare in awe.

 

During their return trip, Rong Heng had deliberately slowed their pace to extend the cubs’ training.

 

Hector handled fighter pilot lessons, while Rong Heng took charge of combat training.

 

Before the comms alert sounded, the three of them had already been training for two hours.

 

“Five-minute break.”

 

Rong Heng stepped back, grabbing his AI terminal as it vibrated incessantly.

 

When he saw the caller ID, he paused for a moment, his brows slightly raised.

 

Then, he quickly adjusted his clothes, striding into the rest lounge with a curt, “Free time for half an hour.”

 

Heli, panting and sprawled on the floor, peeked at his retreating figure.

 

“Was that Dad calling?”

 

“I thought we weren’t allowed to do video calls from the warship?” Nota pouted. “Maybe it’s another urgent mission.”

 

Rong Heng swiftly closed the lounge door, straightened his uniform, and only then did he accept the call.

 

Ruan Shiqing’s holographic image flickered into the room—his expression grim.

 

Rong Heng’s usual faint smile faded, replaced by a sharp, serious demeanor.

 

“Something happened?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Ruan Shiqing’s voice was low and steady as he detailed the entire encounter with the Zergs.

 

Then, he turned the camera feed to show the stacked Zerg corpses in the courtyard.

 

Finally, his gaze turned solemn.

 

“I think you should return as soon as possible.”

 

As someone affiliated with the military, Ruan Shiqing knew Rong Heng would understand the gravity of this situation.

 

The moment Rong Heng saw the massive Zerg corpses, his expression darkened.

 

Without hesitation, he replied, “This isn’t something we can discuss over comms. I’ll return by today.”

 

After a brief pause, his tone turned sharper.

 

“If anyone from the inner city comes to you, don’t go with them easily.”

 

Ruan Shiqing nodded, anxiously ending the call.

 

Beside him, the young cub nestled against his leg, quietly rubbing against him for comfort.

 

As soon as the call ended, Rong Heng strode into the cockpit.

 

Mo Li, the pilot on duty, had the ship on auto-navigation and was leisurely playing a game.

 

Only when Rong Heng entered did he hastily shut off the AI screen, standing up to salute.

 

“Sir.”

 

“There’s been a Zerg sighting on B3024. We need to return immediately.”

 

Rong Heng took the pilot’s seat, commanding.

 

“Noah, pull up the star maps. Plot the fastest route. Also, notify the transport ships behind us to accelerate.”

 

Mo Li froze in shock.

 

Only when the warship suddenly surged forward did he stumble back into his seat, exclaiming.

 

“Zergs?! On B3024?!”

 

The frontline was guarded by countless soldiers, their blood and sacrifice forming an unbreakable wall to protect the Empire’s core territories.

 

For years, the Zergs had never breached the defense lines.

 

“That’s impossible,” he muttered, slumping into the co-pilot’s seat.

 

Rong Heng gave him a cold glance.

 

“Nothing is impossible. We’ve been fighting Zergs for years. You should have realized by now. They’re getting smarter.”

 

Before, Zergs had relied on sheer numbers and brute force.

 

But they had no intelligence, no strategic thinking, so humans could use tactics and technology to trap and eliminate them.

 

But if the Zergs had become intelligent…

 

Then they had countless ways to bypass defenses, infiltrate, and attack from behind enemy lines.

 

Rong Heng’s eyes narrowed.

 

“We’ll find out when we get there.”

 

With a single command, the warship’s engines roared, accelerating to maximum speed.

 

His face remained icy cold.

 

 

 

---

 

I think there was still Zergs or something/someone involved when the little cub was pointing at a distance, maybe that’s why he got disappointed when Papa Ruan didn’t get him?

 

Anyways, things are getting more and more serious!

 

Thanks for reading!

For every three ko-fis, I will upload a bonus chapter~