I transformed into a cute girl and lived a carefree life in the apocalypse.

The sound of propellers filled the airport. On the runway, large transport planes were already loaded with robots and other supplies, and fueled, ready to take off at any time.

In addition, more than a dozen bombers were also loaded with high-explosive bombs, and fighter jets were loaded with high-energy explosives such as white phosphorus bombs and had already taken off.

After two days of deliberation and weighing the pros and cons, the higher-ups finally reached a conclusion.

Even if the buildings collapse, we can just rebuild them. We can't use the lives of our soldiers to compensate for the damage.

"Begin the bombing."

At this moment, the bombers were already approaching the airspace over Jiangning. However, the sudden change caught the military off guard.

"Report! There's new activity in Dongcheng District!"

The satellite scan of the ground shows that several large creatures, each tens of meters long, suddenly emerged from the ground there, their tails resembling giant water sacs, pointing upwards.

Biu——

Several huge beams of silver light shot out from their tails, instantly shooting down the two H-6 bombers. The aircraft seemed to have been severely corroded, disintegrating into countless small fragments in mid-air.

"Damn it! Can't a person even have peace of mind?"

Without warning, a beam of azure light slanted down from the sky, striking the area in the East District with perfect precision. A burst of lightning and flames erupted, engulfing the area.

22. Results

Nearly a thousand insects and beasts of all sizes are imprisoned here, all for experimental observation purposes.

In less than half a month, this place was built into the largest insect and animal research base in China.

It is not only the largest in the country, but also the most advanced research base in the world.

Without exception, all those qualified to come here are top experts in the field of life and genetic science in China, each having established a certain level of authority in this field.

Also present here are prominent figures from the scientific community who have been arriving from abroad in recent days.

The world is very curious about this group of highly organized insectoid beasts that put an army led by five ninth-tier warriors in a difficult battle. Out of a sense of precaution, governments of various countries communicated with China and then allowed them to come over.

It can be said that this place gathers the world's most cutting-edge knowledge and expertise, and there is absolutely no room for error.

The defenses here are even more stringent than those of a nuclear arsenal, and Li Haoyi is stationed here.

Walking through this place, Yan Ziming felt as if he had entered a zoo of insects and animals.

Within sight, there were countless iron cages, each containing only insects and beasts.

The largest spiders Yan Zimo had ever seen were like a weakened version of the giant beetle. Their forelimbs were also a pair of sickles that could easily cut through human skin, and the bristles on them could scrape off a large piece of flesh with a single stroke.

Of course, their legs and mouthparts that could hurt people have been removed, otherwise I really wouldn't dare to just use an iron cage to keep them in.

Yan Ziming continued deeper into the building and entered a huge temporary shed facade.

Further in, you'll find live insects and beasts imprisoned here, their legs and feet still attached.

They are kept in specially made tempered glass cages that replicate the underground environment to the greatest extent possible, and several different kinds of insects and animals are kept together to facilitate researchers' observation of their living habits.

For example, try to find out how they achieve unified organization, how they transmit orders, their class status, and so on.

If you walk forward, you will enter a separate space.

The insects and beasts imprisoned here are not just the low-level insects locked in iron cages outside, but truly 'precious' specimens with immense research value.

At the same time, the garrison here is also very strong, with two seventh-level ability users and one eighth-level ability user.

Because what's imprisoned here is the behemoth among insect beasts—the Sky Beetle.

A total of four beetles were captured, one of which was the one that Yan Ziming personally caught—a beetle over thirty meters tall.

Because Yan Zimo removed the limbs and mouthparts from this beetle, it has not yet been cut into thousands of pieces, but has been temporarily preserved. The living beetle is obviously more valuable for research than the dead one.

"Regarding this Sky Beetle, we judge its defense to be weaker than that of the Sandstone Dragon, but it belongs to the first tier among mutated species of the same level. The other three are also among the top in the second tier."

Similar to the light tanks, heavy tanks, and super-heavy tanks in human tank units, the defensive capabilities of mutated species are also classified into levels.

There are five tiers in total. The top of the first tier is firmly occupied by the Sandstone Dragon, and the Sky Beetle captured by Yan Ziming is in the first tier.

Those in the first echelon can easily withstand artillery fire that is ten times greater than that on the battlefield, making them veritable mobile fortresses and the first targets to be concentrated and eliminated on the battlefield.

Incidentally, the Tyrants are at the top of the third tier, while the Reapers are in the middle of the second tier.

"That's really impressive, like a turtle shell."

Yan Ziming crossed his arms. Even a regular tank unit couldn't break this thing... no, an entire armored division probably couldn't do anything to it.

The SS-class Sky Beetle has top-tier defensive capabilities, and its threat to ordinary armies is not much lower than that of the SSS-class.

"Take Crimson Flame as an example. To break through its defenses and kill it, you would need to completely destroy an SS-grade obsidian crystal."

"Tsk tsk..." Yan Ziming clicked his tongue.

An SS-rank Tyrant would struggle to withstand an attack from a Crimson Flame powered by an S-rank Obsidian Crystal, but this Sky Beetle can completely withstand an entire SS-rank Obsidian Crystal.

You should know that killing these insectoid beasts doesn't drop any crystal cores at all!

If you calculate it that way, you'd be losing a fortune.

Ordinary superhumans can't really defeat the Sky Beetle; they need to use special weapons to do so.

Luo Li led Yan Ziming further inside, into a rather special environment. Here, the creatures imprisoned were no longer insects and beasts, but...

—Insect eggs.

There are dozens of glass incubation chambers here, each about the size of a basketball court, with an identical insect egg placed at intervals inside.

In front of these incubation chambers, staff members in white coats were observing, taking notes, and comparing relevant data in a very rigorous manner.

When the people inside saw Yan Ziming and Luo Li, they all nodded to them as a sign of respect.

"Have these insect eggs yielded any results in a short period of time?" Yan Ziming asked.

"No, we'll have to wait for them to hatch, right? But we can simulate their hatching environment; disrupting the larval hatching process is an option, but..."

Luo Li seemed to have a headache.

"but what?"

"Even at minus thirty degrees Celsius or a high temperature of one hundred degrees Celsius, the insect eggs show no signs of dying. Their internal temperature seems to be constant, which can sustain them until they hatch."

Even under such harsh conditions, the larvae inside the eggs cannot be killed, which shows just how tenacious these creatures are.

"However...hehehe! Under my brilliant leadership! I finally discovered the clues!"

Luo Li suddenly chuckled mischievously and slowly explained, "We discovered from the bodies of adult insect beasts that they have fewer organs, and their functions are far less complete than those of humans. Most of them are incomplete, except for one that is completely complete."

"What kind?"

“Their respiratory system!” Luo Li exclaimed excitedly, “Their respiratory system is much stronger and more sophisticated than that of humans!”

"But...aren't the respiratory systems of large creatures inherently more developed than those of humans?"

Yan Ziming's obvious question drew Luo Li's disdain: "Nonsense, why would I be telling you this if it were a normal phenomenon?"

Sizzling...

Upon hearing the crackling sound, Luo Li immediately lowered her proud head. "I was wrong, Lord Zi Mo, please forgive me."

Yan Ziming nodded in satisfaction, signaling her to continue.

"As I said before, all the other organ systems in their bodies are incomplete or faulty, except for one thing! The respiratory system is complete and even more advanced! Except for one thing!"

Luo Li emphasized it three times, and Yan Ziming nodded thoughtfully, "Oh...I understand."

"Hmph, you're teachable... The various systems in the bodies of mutated species are complete, forming a whole, but the insect beasts are incomplete, with only the respiratory system being prominent, indicating that the insect beasts are a race that relies heavily on the respiratory system for survival."

14. Soft kill

Yan Ziming was furious. She had originally wanted to give more opportunities to the People's Liberation Army soldiers to perform, but this sudden change forced her to take action again.

"The enemy even has anti-air capabilities?!"

This intelligence was completely unknown beforehand, but it still happened.

"It seems we underestimated these insects. We need to pay them more attention; they are an army that has formed a 'specialized force'."

Yan Zimo said in a deep voice.

Fortunately, that one shot was enough to wipe them out.

Xiu——

More than a dozen silvery beams of light shot straight into the sky and flew toward the bomber formation.

"Again?! This time it's emerging from underground?"

This time, Yan Ziming wouldn't give the opponent another chance. Thunderclouds pressed down completely, and hundreds of beams of light forcefully shattered it, unleashing a continuous bombardment on that area for dozens of seconds.

The firepower was terrifying, like the most violent solar storm in history. The heat wave swept through, and the tall buildings there instantly crumbled. Countless insects and beasts were torn to pieces in the face of such firepower, unable to put up any resistance.

Dozens of seconds later, the news from the satellite image was alarming.

The remaining part of that area could no longer even be called 'ruins'; it had been completely and utterly razed to the ground.

"This destructive power... is too inhumane!" A lieutenant general broke out in a cold sweat.

He was relieved that Yan Ziming was one of his own; if she were an enemy, he couldn't even imagine the terrible consequences.