From Titan Corporation to the Empire of Man

Chapter 623 "Your genes will become the next cornerstone of the evolution of the Zerg"

The desert battlefield has turned into a hellish scene.

The remains of the alien insects piled up like hills, and the yellow-green corrosive blood was boiling and rolling, corroding the sand and gravel into countless honeycomb-shaped rotten holes, and each hole was gushing out bubbles with pungent acid mist.

Even more horrifying changes are growing in the bloody ruins——

The black and purple fungal carpet was multiplying crazily like some kind of living plague. The sticky organic matter layer was crawling on the sand, and its surface was covered with pulsating blood vessels.

These disgusting biological tissues were devouring the battlefield at a speed of half a meter per second. Wherever they passed, the sand began to secrete disgusting mucus. The entire desert was being transformed into a disgusting fleshy swamp.

Every time the Flame Lizards raised their magnetic boots, they would bring up spider-web-like biological sticky silk, and the ground would make a gurgling sound like the stomach of a giant beast.

The fungal mat not only provides a breeding ground for the rapid regeneration of the alien insects, but also makes their movements extremely covert. The originally dry and hard desert has now become the alien insects' home ground.

The first person to notice something was wrong was a tactical team leader.

The vibration sensor of the power armor suddenly sounded an alarm. A faint, almost undetectable irregular tremor came from underground, and a scarlet prompt box exploded on the right side of the helmet screen.

"There's something underground."

Before the warning was even finished, the fungal carpet on the ground behind the Flame Lizards suddenly swelled violently like a boiling porridge pot.

Boom—boom—!
Accompanied by a deafening explosion, dozens of "lurkers" that looked like giant spiders broke out of the ground.

These monsters are as big as main battle tanks, with their shells covered with dark purple biological armor that is the same origin as the fungal blanket, and drill-like keratin structures growing at the ends of their sickle-shaped limbs.

The most terrifying thing is their symbiotic state with the fungal carpet. Every time their limbs are inserted into the ground, fleshy, tendril-like hyphae will gush out from the wound, connecting them to the earth like sutures.

? !
"Enemy attack!"

Even the Flame Lizard, an Astartes, couldn't help but show a moment of astonishment in the tactical channel when faced with this sudden and fatal ambush.

But their reaction was as fast as lightning, and the roar of the bolter exploded almost at the same second when the lurker broke out of the ground.

Clang! Clang!
.
75cal caliber explosive bullets poured down like a rainstorm, and the warheads hit the thick shell of the lurker, exploding a series of dazzling sparks.

However, the armor of these elite Zerg was several times tougher than that of ordinary species, and the metal streams of the bolter shells only left charred pits on the surface of their shells, failing to penetrate them.

The 1.0cal heavy bomb hit the joints, barely tearing apart some of the biological armor. Yellow-green corrosive blood spurted out, burning hissing holes in the sand.

Ri~whoosh————!
The plasma ball from the plasma cannon cut through the air and slammed hard into the lurker's torso. The ultra-high temperature and ultra-high energy instantly carbonized large pieces of the carapace, and the burnt organic matter emitted a pungent stench.

But these monsters did not fall down. Instead, they became even more violent in the severe pain.

Their limbs suddenly spread out, sweeping across the battlefield like giant sickles, and their sharp keratin blades made sharp whistling sounds in the air.

The Flame Lizard's titanium armor servo system also emitted a high-frequency buzzing sound, the hydraulic joints operated under extreme conditions, and the warriors' iron bodies retreated with almost inhuman agility.

The sweeping limbs brushed against the breastplate, plowing grooves several meters deep in the sand. The flying gravel and mucus splashed on the armor, making crackling corrosion sounds.

"Melee team, suppress them!"

The moment the order was given, half of the Flame Lizard warriors had already drawn their chainswords, power axes and other melee weapons.

Saw teeth roar, energy fields hum, these deadly melee weapons draw cold arcs in the air.

The Lurkers tried to intercept with their arthropods, but the Astartes' combat instincts allowed them to avoid every fatal blow by a hair's breadth.

The teeth of the chainsaw sword bit into the gaps in the carapace, spinning at high speed, and the sharp teeth with a decomposition position crushed the flesh and blood, and the yellow-green insect blood gushed out like a high-pressure water gun.

The plasma force field of the power axe chopped down, and the thick biological armor shattered in the energy shock, and minced meat and shell fragments flew everywhere.

However, the vitality of these elite alien insects is extremely tenacious. Even if their limbs are broken and their shells are shattered, they can still fight back frantically.

What's more deadly is that their surprise attack completely tore through the Flame Lizards' defensive formation.

While the Flame Lizards were fighting the Lurkers, on the distant horizon, the main force of the Zerg tide was still advancing, the fungal blanket was wriggling, the alien insects were roaring, and a new round of killing frenzy was about to come.

Tens of thousands of alien insects, such as springtails and cockroaches, swarmed out from the sticky organic matter layer, their shells covered with a layer of disgusting fungal slime, making the already swift charge even more deadly.

The compound eyes of these alien insects flashed with bloodthirsty light, and their limbs crawled at high speed on the fungal carpet, making a creepy rustling sound, as if the entire desert was boiling under their feet.

The sky suddenly darkened.

The flying mantises (flying insects) gathered again, their wings covering the sky and blocking out the moonlight, and acid bombs poured down like a rainstorm.

Corrosive liquid hit the titanium armors whose shields were temporarily overloaded, hissing smoke rose from the seams of the armor, and damage warnings on the helmet display screens kept flashing.

"Hold the line!"

The Flame Lizard's bolter was still roaring and firing, but the number of the Zerg was too great.

The corpses of the Zerglings piled up like a mountain in front of the position, but more Zerglings continued to charge by stepping on the remains of their companions.

The cockroaches' acid cannons bombarded the titanium armor that lacked energy shields, and the thick titanium alloy plates were corroded and riddled with holes.

The number of casualties among the brothers also began to jump gradually on one side of the display screen.

The breastplate of a Flame Lizard was pierced by the Lurker's limbs, and blood gushed out from the broken helmet breathing grid.

"Hey! Die, alien!!"

Clang clang clang!
He roared and pulled the trigger hard, firing a volley of explosive bullets into the Zerg's mouthparts until the magazine was empty.

Another Flame Lizard was hit on the helmet by Mantis' acid bullet. The visor melted in the corrosion, and the face and scalp under the helmet suffered severe burns. But he still stood, waving his chainsaw sword wildly in the swarm of insects, and only fell to his knees after cutting off the heads of nearly a hundred springtails.

Furthermore, they would never allow their bodies to fall into the hands of the Zerg.

At the last moment of their lives, the fallen Flame Lizards activated the Titanium Armor's overload program without hesitation, releasing the confinement field of the nuclear fusion reactor and causing miniature hydrogen explosions to break out in the swarm.

Ri~whoosh——boom——boom——!!!
Dazzling white light tore through the battlefield. The shock waves caused by each miniature "sun" swept across an area of ​​dozens of meters. The bodies of springtails, cockroaches, and mantises were instantly vaporized in the high temperature, and even the fungal blanket was burned into a charred hard shell.

The aftermath of the explosion caused a strong wind, and sand, dust, blood and flesh debris fell like a rainstorm.

The sacrifice of these fire lizards bought the other brothers a brief respite, but the situation was still collapsing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

More and more Lurkers broke out of the ground and cut off the retreat. At the same time, they lurked under the fungal blanket, ready to attack any Flame Lizard that tried to break out and retreat to the city of Mar Sara.

The slime on the fungal blanket greatly reduces the mobility of the Titanium Armor, and every step is like trekking through a sticky swamp.

On the horizon, more alien insects are still pouring in, and the insect tide seems endless.

They have no way out.

The Flame Lizards looked around the battlefield, their helmet screens flashing with a tactical assessment - "Probability of breakout: 0.7%."

"Everyone, form a formation!"

The surviving soldiers gathered in silence, standing back to back to form the final circle of defense.

The bolter's ammunition was running low, the chainsword's teeth had long since broken, and the power axe's energy field flickered, but they still held their weapons tightly and faced the surging insect swarm.

Sudden--

"For the Emperor!"

“For humanity!!”

The steel war cry exploded like thunder, and the originally silent Flame Lizard formation suddenly erupted into a thunderous roar. Although the deadly attack by the Lurker had affected the formation and killed dozens of brothers in an instant, the remaining Flame Lizards instead ignited an even more ardent fighting spirit.

The breathing grid of the helmet spewed out hot air, and the casualty figures jumping on the display screen not only failed to weaken morale, but instead became a catalyst for revenge.

They knew that every second of delay in evacuating the starport could save hundreds of lives.

The civilians huddled in shelters, the rebels who took up crude weapons, and even the Terran Empire soldiers who laid down their weapons and chose to fight against the Zerg together.

This awareness makes their bolter and plasma cannon shooting more accurate, and every round of ammunition carries the will to protect.

Whoosh—Boom! Boom!

At this time, accompanied by a sharp sound of breaking through the air, a new batch of airdrop pods smashed into the battlefield with plasma tail flames.

The warehouse unfolded the moment it touched the ground, revealing neatly arranged ammunition boxes and energy batteries, and the Flame Lizards completed the supply with skillful movements.

At the same time, an exciting message came from the upper right corner of the helmet screen: "Support is about to arrive, please be prepared brothers."

The Flame Lizards that received supplies burst out with amazing fighting power.

They formed a classic circular battle formation, with the front row of warriors holding guns in one hand and swords in the other, smashing and dicing the approaching Zerglings into meat paste.

The various bolt guns in the middle row continued to pour out fire, turning the cockroaches that tried to approach into sieves.

The plasma gunners in the rear were specifically tasked with killing the elite Zerg with thick shells, or searching for and guarding against lurkers that might attack again.

The entire battle formation was like a precision-operated killing machine, and the corpses of the alien insects quickly piled up into a low circular wall in front of the formation.

"Filthy alien scum!"

A Flame Lizard roared and stabbed the chainsaw sword into the Zerg's mouth. The high-speed rotating teeth minced the Zerg's body into minced meat.

"Is that all you have?"

Another soldier dodged the acid bullet and used a plasma pistol to vaporize the three-headed Zergling.

The battle situation gradually fell into a strange stalemate.

The tidal wave of alien insect attacks was actually stopped by the iron defense line of just over 200 "people".

"Roar"

"hiss"

The swarm creatures, which should have had no fear and even no independent consciousness, now clearly became hesitant in their attack rhythm, and some individuals even showed a retreat behavior following their biological instinct.

As this delicate balance continued—

boom! ! !
The entire battlefield suddenly shook violently, and the shock wave caused the fungal carpet within a radius of 100 meters to create wave-like folds.

A sandstorm that covered the sky and the moon rose on the northern horizon. It seemed that some humanoid creature was smashing into the battlefield with the power of a falling meteorite, and the various sensors of the Flame Lizards were also frantically sounding the alarm.

As the smoke and dust dissipated, a vague human figure gradually emerged.

Its kneeling posture was faintly visible in the smoke and dust, and its body was surrounded by plasma arcs that had not yet dissipated.

As the dust settled, the true appearance of the creature finally became clear—

"She" has an amazing dark purple exoskeleton and a hard shell, but it outlines the almost perfect human female curves.

The bone wings spread out behind it are not flying organs in the traditional sense. The sharp bone spurs are distributed asymmetrically, and it is obviously unable to fly based on the principles of aerodynamics. It must be relying on some powerful psychic power to stay suspended in the air.

The most shocking thing is the impact force when "she" fell, which caused the ground to dent and show radial cracks. This pure physical impact force far exceeded the endurance limit of ordinary creatures.

In addition, "her" face can be described as uniquely charming.

The facial contours, like a living sculpture, are covered with fine biological lines. Extending from the top of the head are not hair, but dozens of active bone spurs like dreadlocks, swaying gently with the fluctuations of psychic energy.

In those pupils emitting a faint yellow light, it seemed as if flames from the abyss were dancing.

When "her" gaze swept across the battlefield, every flame lizard felt a chill that went straight to the soul.

"Zerg Advanced Unit: Queen of Blades - Sarah Kerrigan".

The identification information that popped up instantly on the helmet screen made all the Flame Lizards feel nervous.

The other party is exactly one of the threats that the intelligence department has warned about. He has a body at the pinnacle of the Zerg's evolution, and psychic powers that are enough to distort reality.

Without any hesitation, the bolt gun array immediately turned its muzzles and the plasma cannon began to overload and charge.

"Open fire! Coverage fire!"

In an instant, seemingly countless explosive bullets and hot plasma balls completely submerged the location where the Queen of Blades was.

boom! boom!
The shock wave generated by the explosion blew away the surrounding fungal blanket, and thick smoke and flames engulfed the dangerous figure.

However, when the smoke and dust cleared, a desperate scene appeared.

The light blue psychic barrier perfectly wrapped the figure like an eggshell, and all attacks dissipated as useless ripples on the surface of the barrier.

The Queen of Blades slowly raised her right hand, dangerous arcs of psychic energy dancing at her fingertips.

clap----!
With a loud bang that sounded as the air was torn apart, dazzling psychic lightning swept across the battlefield like a whip.

"spread!"

Seeing this, the Flame Lizards reacted immediately and dodged quickly, but some unlucky brothers were still struck by lightning and connected in series.

The energy shield that was enough to withstand a direct hit from heavy artillery and had just been restored was penetrated like thin paper by the impact of psychic energy.

Then, the warrior who was hit groaned in pain, and fell to the ground motionless. The life support system inside the power armor was instantly overloaded, and the status indicator jumped directly from green to dying blood red.

! !
"For the fallen brothers! Charge!"

Seeing that their brothers were not sure whether they were alive or dead, more than two hundred Flame Lizards roared loudly.

The teeth of the chainsaw sword began to spin wildly, and the energy field of the power axe made a shrill sound. Since long-range firepower was ineffective, they decided to fight this monster to the death in the most primitive way.

Dozens of soldiers in the first wave of attack formed a fan-shaped siege.

The team on the far left tried to attract attention, the middle group prepared to break through from the front, and more than ten people on the right quickly went around the back.

But perfect tactical coordination seems so fragile in the face of absolute power.

The Blade Queen simply waved her hand lightly, and the invisible psychic energy shock directly blew away the Flame Lizards that were charging head-on.

The bone wings behind it suddenly extended, like living spears, piercing the Flame Lizard that was trying to attack from behind.

As for the bait group on the left, they didn't even get within ten meters before they were nailed in mid-air by psychic spikes that suddenly erupted from the ground.

Then, the Queen of Blades raised her right hand again, used her psychic power to strangle the throat of a team captain, and when she lifted him up, "she" finally spoke.

The sound was like the hissing of countless insects, but also had a strange female tone:
"Stubborn ants, your genes will become the next cornerstone of the evolution of the swarm."

(End of this chapter)