Mecha Star Wars.

Chapter 1612 Deployment of Troops
Helian Rongjin had always regarded power and status as a cage that imprisoned freedom and had always wanted to avoid it.

But now, in order to protect themselves, they are actively climbing to the top of power, willingly becoming prisoners of authority.

Looking at Helian Rongjin like this, Antonio couldn't help but think of Lu Shi.

Didn't that little girl who struggled to climb up from the garbage planet also step into that white tower that symbolizes the highest?

The White Pagoda is a gilded cage, and the Helian family is also a cage inlaid with gold and jade.

The more prestigious one's status, the more luxurious one's attire, and the more unbreakable one's position.

Whether it was Lu Shi, who came from humble beginnings and was helpless, or Helian Rongjin, who had made great achievements and was a top fighter, they all ended up voluntarily living in the cage.

It may seem like a place of endless glory, but in reality, it can never escape the throne forged by power.

Antonio suddenly felt a sense of emptiness.

The vibrant people who once walked alongside me seem to have slowly turned into frozen images in a painting, never to return...

"Look!" Helian Rongjin warned, "The intelligent beast is about to emerge."

The swarm of dark purple insects continued to overflow from the cracks, with countless hard-shelled beetles covering the air, as if trying to fill the entire space.

While the visual effects were stunning, the planet was actually quite far away from Pleum; otherwise, the Sersorn people wouldn't have been able to leisurely watch the insects deploy their forces.

Everyone looked toward the rift, and as a large amount of purple mist overflowing from the insectoids suddenly rolled inward and gathered, a thick and smooth outline slowly emerged from the dark depths.

Unlike the surrounding Zerg creatures covered in hard armor, this intelligent beast had a soft and supple body, resembling a combination of a shell-less multi-legged sea turtle and a deep-sea squid.

When the enormous umbrella-shaped body emerged, it almost completely covered the rift opening, and beneath its translucent pale purple surface, colorful energy veins flowed slowly.

Dozens of fleshy tentacles of varying thickness stretched out freely, with the longest ones passing directly over the layers of insects in front.

Without having to look up, the crew of the Noah could see the fine scales reflecting light on the surface of the tentacles, making them appear not as soft as they had imagined.

The tips of its tentacles are covered with suckers bearing sharp teeth. With just a gentle flick, the dense swarm of insects parted the sea like Moses parting the ocean, creating a wide passage.

The intelligent beast had no thick, hard shell, nor did it rely on brute force to charge; it simply floated forward slowly. Wherever it passed, the surrounding insect swarms instinctively gave way, and an invisible pressure swept over them through the three-dimensional reality.

“While I’m glad it’s not a beetle, but,” Antonio frowned, clenching his fist and pointing his thumb at the soft-bodied behemoth in the void, “can anyone tell me why the boss of a bunch of beetles is a seafood? Are these kinds of soft creatures inherently superior to beetles?”

Jin Sichen chuckled and pushed up his sunglasses: "This thing reminds me of the Octobos from back then. Perhaps this kind of soft-bodied form represents the evolutionary direction of highly intelligent species?"

"Octopus?" Helian Rongjin exclaimed in surprise. "This race is renowned throughout the interstellar space for its exceptional intellect, but they are very rare to encounter. You've actually dealt with them before?"

"We've done far more than just deal with them!" Antonio boasted smugly. "Our relationship with them is far deeper than any fake close relationship we have with you guys. Close friends, you know? Back in the day..."

Cen Fangyuan suddenly coughed twice.

Antonio, reminded, immediately shut up: "Forget it, why am I telling you all this? You've never seen them anyway, so I don't want you to get envious and jealous, ruining your mood. Let's get back to the jellyfish. You've been using them as spare parts, you must have figured them out by now, right?" Helian Rongjin's lips twitched slightly, knowing that this matter should be considered confidential and wouldn't be easily known to him, so he smoothly took over the conversation.

"Although they look like aquatic soft creatures, intelligent beasts are essentially beetle-like creatures. However, ordinary beetles have evolved thick chitinous shells and rely on their flesh to charge and fight; intelligent beasts, on the other hand, absorb anaerobic energy year after year and coordinate swarms. Their hard shells block the energy absorption rate and the transmission of control signals. Over time, the outer shell degenerates, leaving only a soft body with a thin shell inside, creating the appearance we see now."

"The intelligence beasts have a brain capacity superior to that of ordinary Zerg, approaching that of mammals, but they are not considered highly intelligent species. They simply mutate naturally based on the environment within the rifts." He continued, "The name 'intelligence beasts' is just for easy distinction. Strictly speaking, 'intelligence insects' would be more appropriate."

After the intelligent beast completely left the rift, it first advanced slowly, and then slowed down when it was in the middle of the massive swarm of insects.

The Zerg, who originally only knew how to charge forward blindly, gradually formed a formation, like tentacles extending from the bodies of the intelligent beasts, advancing in multiple directions with a clear purpose.

The next second, the projected view suddenly widened. The entire starry sky and the insect swarm retreated rapidly, and the long-dormant Therthorn defenses suddenly appeared before everyone's eyes.

It's like looking at a three-dimensional sand table, where every move of the attacking and defending sides is clearly visible.

Six or seven massive rectangular combat fortresses were arranged in a ring, while countless medium-sized frigates spewed out incandescent flames, quickly filling the gaps in the battle line.

The fortress turrets lit up one after another with cold, charging light, and dense energy projectiles, trailing long streaks of light, crashed into the swarm of insects, officially igniting the great battle.

The impact of the artillery fire disrupted the swarm's originally orderly formation. The swarms of swarms were thrown about by the explosions and crashed head-on into their comrades who were rushing in after them, and they immediately started fighting each other.

These low-intelligence creatures, utterly incapable of comprehending what was happening, acted solely on instinct. Those charging forward continued to charge forward, while those locked in combat continued to engage in combat. The once tightly packed insect formation was torn apart, leaving large, loose gaps.

Sensing the unusual movement on the front lines, the intelligent beast swung its enormous tentacles, releasing a thick, pale purple anamorphic energy from its body.

The chaotic swarm of insects paused briefly, just as they were about to reorganize their ranks, when the fortress once again unleashed a barrage of fire at the gaps.

This time, however, the shells did not have the visual effect of exploding, seemingly all of them becoming duds.

"What's going on?" Antonio couldn't help but ask. "A mass malfunction?"

"It's not a firepower attack." Lin Fan spotted what appeared to be mechanical equipment at the point of impact, and considering the swarm of insects starting to become chaotic again, he thought for a moment, "Is it a signal jamming device?"

Helian Rongjin was surprised that Lin Fan could guess: "Pretty much. The anamorphic energy repulsion device simulates anamorphic energy signal waves after landing, interfering with the commands issued by the intelligent beasts to the insect swarm."

"At the same time, it can also interfere with the intelligent beast's perception of the rift. When the repulsion device is activated, the rift is no longer the only source of anatomical energy. The intelligent beast loses its return coordinates, which means its escape route is cut off. Then, it's time to close the net."

As soon as he finished speaking, hundreds of light fighter jets were launched from the fortress, forming an arc to encircle the swarm of insects, heading straight for the fissures behind them that were still spewing insects.

The fighter jets moved at high speed, firing sporadically, hitting and running away, showing no intention of engaging the enemy at close range.

"This isn't working either," Antonio said anxiously. "Are you flying so fast because you're in a hurry? Why not aim at a few more and kill them all?!"

“No rush.” Helian Rongjin smiled. “Those are fighter jets specifically designed to block the rift passages, only for feint attacks. If the firepower is too intense, it will force the Zerg around the rift to flee in the opposite direction, hindering the blocking operation.”

"Just wait, the best is yet to come."