TCPUAAV Chapter 66

 

The fire in the inner city had far greater repercussions than anyone had anticipated. Nearly the entire military force of the inner city was mobilized, combing through Planet B3024 inch by inch.

 

Even many vagrants who seemed the slightest bit suspicious were forcibly taken away by the security forces for interrogation. Once they went in, they never came out.

 

For a time, the outer city was on edge, with people choosing to stay indoors whenever possible.

 

As a result, business at the repair shop became noticeably sluggish. Fortunately, Ruan Shiqing no longer relied on the shop for income. Taking advantage of the slowdown, he gave the Xiong brothers some time off to watch over the place while he and 09 holed up in the factory’s laboratory, running repeated tests on a new weapon.

The second-generation armored walker had already been designed. Once it passed rigorous testing, it could be officially put into production.

 

Every day, after dropping off the little ones at school, Ruan Shiqing would head to the lab for work. Then, when school let out, he would pick them up and take them home.

 

That afternoon, after finishing his work, Ruan Shiqing drove the land speeder leisurely toward the school.

 

The day had been bright and sunny, but soon after he left, the sky suddenly darkened.

 

Sticking his head out to glance at the heavy clouds overhead, he muttered, puzzled, “How did it get cloudy so fast?”

 

On Planet B3024, the weather was regulated by artificial satellites, making it highly predictable. Sudden changes like this were extremely rare.

 

“I haven’t received any rain notifications either,” 09, sitting in the passenger seat, also stuck his head out to look.

 

The two artificial suns, which emitted both light and heat, were now obscured by a mass of thick, black clouds. The darkness spread ominously, pressing downward toward the ground.

 

09 stared at it for a few seconds. His built-in red scanning system automatically activated, sweeping the sky. Moments later, his voice trembled.

 

“That’s not a cloud!”

 

*

 

Meanwhile, at school, Ruan Jiao kept glancing at the sky, his antennas twitching anxiously.

 

Restlessly, he spun in place, searching around until he spotted the little mermaid reading under the shade of a tree. Rushing over, he tugged urgently at the mermaid’s sleeve and pointed at the sky, struggling to form the words. “Coming… coming!”

 

“What’s coming?” The little mermaid looked up, seeing nothing unusual, just a few thick clouds blocking the sunlight, causing the sky to dim. “Is it going to rain?”

 

Seeing that the mermaid didn’t understand, Ruan Jiao shook his head forcefully and pointed again at the ever-expanding darkness.

 

“Zerg! Zerg!”

 

The little mermaid stared at him in confusion.

 

At that moment, the mass above them continued to grow.

 

Up in a tree, where he had been peacefully napping in the sunlight, Rong Heng opened his eyes with a frown. Looking up at the sky, his expression changed drastically.

 

Without hesitation, he leaped down from the tree, no longer bothering to conceal himself. Transforming into his human form, he swiftly pulled out his communicator and contacted Mo Li.

 

Mo Li hadn’t noticed anything unusual yet, and his tone was still lighthearted.

 

“Look up,” Rong Heng said gravely. “Prepare for battle.”

 

Puzzled, Mo Li walked over to his window. The moment he saw the dark mass above, his pupils shrank in horror.

 

Anyone who had fought on the frontlines knew, this was no cloud.

 

It was a swarm.

 

Among the Zerg species, certain war units possessed wings, making them formidable aerial combatants. Whenever a battle began, these flying units would spearhead the assault, blotting out the sky like an ominous stormfront.

 

They were called Zerg Clouds.

 

Mo Li immediately discarded his relaxed demeanor, his expression turning deadly serious.

 

“Understood, Your Highness!”

 

Ending the call without hesitation, he swiftly mobilized for combat.

 

Meanwhile, Rong Heng sprinted across the school grounds, searching for the cubs. He quickly spotted the little mermaid and Ruan Jiao under the tree. Without explanation, he scooped them both up, one in each arm, and demanded, “Where are Heli and Nota?”

 

Still bewildered, the little mermaid pointed to the right.

 

Rong Heng had no time to explain. Carrying the two cubs, he rushed in the direction indicated.

 

Halfway there, he ran into Hector.

 

The dragon was carrying each struggling cub under one arm, his face equally grim.

 

“Back to the repair shop?” Hector asked.

 

Rong Heng had initially intended to find Ruan Shiqing first, but glancing at the school grounds full of oblivious cubs, he hesitated for a split second before saying, “There’s no time. Notify the school—have them find shelter immediately.”

 

With this many cubs, the school staff wouldn’t be able to protect them all.

 

Carrying the cubs, Rong Heng and Hector rushed toward the principal’s office.

 

Midway, Rong Heng called Ruan Shiqing. Upon learning that he had also noticed the anomaly and was already heading toward the school, Rong Heng immediately stopped him.

 

“Turn back to the factory at once, activate the defense shield, and wait. Mo Li is already on his way. Hector and I are at the school—we’ll take care of the cubs.”

 

Ruan Shiqing wanted to say something, but the call had already been cut off.

 

He looked up at the ever-lowering Zerg cloud, gritted his teeth, and ultimately chose to follow Mr. Rong’s instructions. He turned the land speeder around and sped back toward the factory.

 

“09, estimate how long until they reach the ground.”

 

09 analyzed the swarm’s speed and distance, then gave a grim conclusion. “They’re moving extremely fast. At most, fifteen minutes.”

 

Only fifteen minutes before these terrifyingly powerful Zergs reached the surface.

 

“Get us back to the factory, now!” Handing over the controls to 09, Ruan Shiqing contacted the factory manager. “Activate the defense shield immediately.”

 

Fortunately, he had noticed the anomaly as soon as he left the factory, so returning only took five minutes.

 

The land speeder shot into the factory’s perimeter. Ruan Shiqing jumped out and sprinted to the control room, turning the loudspeaker to maximum volume.

 

“Attention, all residents of Planet B3024! Attention, all residents of Planet B3024! A massive Zerg swarm will reach the surface in nine minutes! I repeat, a massive Zerg swarm will reach the surface in nine minutes! Everyone, find shelter immediately! Residents near the weapons factory, head there for refuge at once!”

 

After setting the loudspeaker to continuously loop the message, Ruan Shiqing didn’t even take a breath before diving into checking the defense shield systems and energy reserves.

 

Meanwhile, Rong Heng and Hector had reached Principal Dudd and concisely explained the situation.

 

Looking up at the vast, dark cloud looming over them, the principal’s lips trembled. Swallowing hard, he finally managed to speak. “The school has several underground shelters, I’ll take you there.”

 

Hector shoved Heli and Nota into Rong Heng’s arms. “You take them. I’ll gather the other cubs.”

 

They quickly split up. Rong Heng followed the principal to the underground shelters, setting the cubs down and warning them not to leave. Then, without wasting a second, he rushed back outside to help Hector gather the remaining cubs.

 

When the Zerg cloud appeared, the cubs had been outside for activity class.

 

With the help of the teachers, they spent five minutes rounding up all the cubs and getting them into the underground shelters.

 

Inside, the young ones were rowdy and noisy, blissfully unaware of the danger. To them, it felt like an exciting game, and they were unusually thrilled.

 

Rong Heng stretched his limbs and exchanged a glance with Hector before turning to the teachers. “Those who can fight, grab a weapon and come with us. Leave three people to watch over the cubs.”

 

Leading the charge was Principal Dudd, a burly Beastkin with immense strength.

 

The group left the underground shelter and stepped onto the school grounds, watching as the Zergs descended upon them. Even the battle-hardened among them couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

 

The swarm was now within striking distance.

 

Massive Zergs flapped their grotesque wings, their compound eyes glowing a menacing red. Their sharp, segmented limbs gleamed with lethal intent.

 

Rong Heng immediately called Dares. “How long until you arrive?”

 

Dares’ voice was still lighthearted. “Five days at the latest, three at the earliest.”

 

Rong Heng narrowed his eyes at the advancing swarm. Switching the communicator to video mode, he showed Dares the overwhelming number of approaching enemies. “You have two days.”

 

On the other end, something clattered to the ground as Dares cursed. “Holy shit! That’s a lot of Zergs!”

 

But Rong Heng had no time to chat. He ended the call, stowed away his communicator, and shifted into his Ymir form, charging directly at the first wave of Zergs.

 

“Stay behind us. Don’t let them near the shelter,” Hector ordered before transforming into a massive black dragon, surging forward to meet the horde.

 

The white Ymir and the black dragon were instantly swallowed by the wave of Zergs.

 

They fought back-to-back, each claiming their own battlefield.

 

Rong Heng moved like the wind. The monstrous Zergs couldn’t even touch his fur before his razor-sharp claws crushed their heads. Annoyed by the sticky Zerg blood, he flicked it off his paw and turned his head.

 

“These bastards are targeting the school,” he noted.

 

The black dragon spread his wings and swooped low, his membranous bat-like wings adorned with deadly bone spurs that skewered Zergs mid-air. Swatting away a lunging enemy, Hector glanced skyward.

 

Rong Heng was right.

 

The Zergs weren’t dispersing across the planet.

 

They were converging, directly above the school.

 

The massive Zerg cloud hovered above the school, refusing to disperse. Instead, wave after wave of Zergs descended from the sky.

 

“Shit! Is there a queen hidden in the school or something? Why the hell are they so fixated on this place?!”

 

“Kill them all, and we’ll find out,” Rong Heng growled, swiping a claw through two Zergs, his gaze cold and sharp.

 

The two ancient behemoths were unstoppable, but even they couldn’t hold back the sheer numbers of the swarm.

 

No matter how many they killed, more kept coming.

 

In less than half an hour, the ground was covered in a thick layer of Zerg corpses, yet the sky above remained swarming with countless more.

 

The Ymir’s white fur was stained green with Zerg blood, and the black dragon’s scales were slick with the same gruesome liquid.

 

Hector spat, cursing under his breath. “How the hell are we supposed to kill them all?”

 

There were simply too many. The two of them alone couldn’t possibly wipe them all out.

 

Meanwhile, inside the underground shelter, the cubs were watching the battle through the teachers’ smart devices, which were linked to the school’s surveillance system.

 

Their initial excitement had turned to silent terror. The grotesque, writhing mass of Zergs left them frozen with fear. Some of the more timid cubs covered their eyes, too afraid to look.

 

Only the bravest ones remained at the front, watching intently.

 

The sight of the two massive beasts charging through the swarm, carving a bloody path again and again, made the little dragon cub’s blood boil.

 

The deep, reverberating dragon roar coming from the surveillance feed sent shivers through the other cubs, making them cover their ears. But for the little dragon cub, it ignited something within him. His forehead horns and the membrane of his bat-like wings grew unbearably hot.

 

His golden eyes, responding to the call of his bloodline, darkened into a deep, metallic gold. Unable to suppress the instinctual urge, the little dragon cub threw his head back and let out a sharp, piercing roar of his own.

 

The brutal battlefield, the scent of blood, and the primal call of his lineage awakened the dormant combat instincts inside him, after all, every dragon was born a warrior, raised amid fire and carnage.

 

Spreading his wings, the little dragon cub turned to the others and declared, “I’m going out.”

 

The teacher instinctively wanted to stop him, but before they could speak, Hector’s voice rang out, loud and commanding.

 

“Let him come.”

 

Under the watchful gazes of the other cubs, the little dragon cub strode out of the underground shelter with unwavering determination.

 

His golden eyes blazed as his bloodline surged. His body rapidly expanded. By the time he stepped onto the battlefield, he had returned to his ten-meter-tall form.

 

Compared to the fully grown black dragon and Ymir, he still appeared young. But to the Zergs, he was now a qualified opponent.

 

The young dragon roared furiously, his wings beating as he launched himself into the swarm.

 

“Stay behind me,” Hector commanded, shielding him from an incoming attack. “Watch carefully, this is how you hunt these disgusting creatures.”

 

Before he had even finished speaking, he had already torn a Zerg clean in half. An adult dragon’s scales were nearly impenetrable. A few Zerg attacks were nothing more than minor annoyances.

 

The young dragon mimicked him, grabbing a lunging Zerg. However, he quickly realized that his strength wasn’t enough to rip it apart. Frustrated, he grit his teeth and instead twisted its head clean off.

 

Rong Heng, having witnessed this, let out a disdainful snort. “And you call this teaching a youngling? You’re just using brute force, completely lacking in finesse.”

 

With that, he leaped into the air, driving the horn on his head straight through a Zerg’s body. “When you don’t have enough strength, use your body as a weapon.”

 

As he spoke, he extended his razor-sharp claws, slicing cleanly through two more Zergs.

 

The young dragon absorbed their techniques, quickly refining his own approach.

 

At first, his movements were clumsy.

 

But soon, he became more fluid.

 

And the bodies of the Zergs piled even higher.

 

Inside the underground shelter, the cubs’ fear gradually turned into excitement.

 

What had once terrified them now filled them with awe. The young dragon’s courage electrified them. Even those who had been crying had stopped, their eyes fixed unblinkingly on the battle displayed in the virtual feed.

 

Just as they were enthralled by the fight, a sudden tremor rippled through the ground.

 

Ruan Jiao was the first to sense something was wrong.

 

He pointed to the wall of the underground shelter, his voice urgent. “Zerg! Coming!”

 

This time, the little mermaid understood immediately. He quickly typed out a translation.

 

“There are Zergs underground!”

 

The three teachers, who had remained to guard the cubs, immediately positioned themselves in front of the children, raising their weapons toward the trembling wall.

 

The shelter quivered.

 

Dust cascaded from the ceiling.

 

Then, with a loud crash, a section of the wall collapsed.

 

A massive Zerg burst through the opening.

 

Its blood-red compound eyes locked onto them.

 

 

---

 

We went from worrying about Lansing to this… We’re not catching a break orz

 

(THEY’RE DEFINITELY HERE FOR JIAO JIAO, AREN’T THEY???? .｡･ﾟﾟ･(＞_＜)･ﾟﾟ･｡)

 

(Also Heli!!!! I know I should be happy he’s so brave but my heart can’t take it!!! let out little cubs stay safe!!!!)

 

Thanks for reading!

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