Make money by hiding in the interstellar battlefield!

"S-Rank Mission!"

These four words were like a red-hot branding iron, slamming into everyone's hearts. An S-level mission meant that an S-level mecha warrior would lead the team, and it also meant a life-or-death situation, where the slightest mistake could lead to the annihilation of the entire team. Jian Sheng's heart clenched suddenly. He dared not stop for a moment, and sprinted towards the main tent. The wind rushed into his throat, carrying a bone-chilling cold, and every step felt like stepping on his taut nerves.

Outside the tent, all the mecha combat personnel were fully armed and lined up. The mecha engines hummed, and the air was filled with a suffocating atmosphere. However, the city defense troops and the civilian workers from the engineering department were nowhere to be seen. This was a top-level confidential order, and no one else was even qualified to know about it.

Jian Sheng flung open the tent flap, his body radiating a chilling aura. Without uttering a single unnecessary word, he uttered a single, deep, icy voice: "Speak."

The communications officer, his face deathly pale and his fingertips trembling, pointed at the densely packed, frantically moving scarlet dots on the holographic satellite image, his voice trembling: "We just received a top-secret urgent report from Seven Rings City! A massive horde of star beasts has appeared in the northwest, heading straight for Seven Rings City at breakneck speed. Their marching route is extremely treacherous, clearly aiming to sever all communication between the northern forest region and Seven Rings City—a blatant siege and reinforcement attack!"

"Command has assessed that if we hold our ground and don't come out, the beast tide will immediately turn around and encircle us, first completely sealing off Seven Ring City, and then eliminating all the strongholds and fortresses outside the city one by one! Satellite images have already shown that more than a dozen fortresses in the surrounding area have been surrounded by lurking beast hordes, and communications are intermittent, meaning they could fall at any moment!"

"Our camp is one of the very few outposts in the northeast corner that hasn't been surrounded yet! Headquarters orders that the entire mech team immediately set off, forcefully break out of the encirclement along the northeast, then make a 300-kilometer detour to strike directly at the Orc mother nest base in the northwest!"

The staff officer's words were like a thunderclap, making Jian Sheng's scalp tingle and his blood almost freeze.

"300 kilometers?!" Jian Sheng clenched his fist, his knuckles turning white, and demanded sharply, "Do you know what you're saying? A regular C-class mech can only maintain full speed for a maximum of 1 hour and 30 minutes before needing a forced 1-hour rest. In the dense forest, with its thick vegetation and numerous obstacles, the speed would be halved again! Even working day and night, it would take at least 15 hours to arrive! Crossing such a long distance within the activity range of a million-strong beast tide, without being detected, is simply a pipe dream!"

"This operation will be led by the S-class mech Percival! The order from above is absolute—to destroy the orc mother nest at all costs, even if the entire team is wiped out, to hold back the main force of the orc tide!" The strategist's voice cracked, every word filled with unwavering resolve.

Jian Sheng's heart sank, and he pressed, "What about the city garrison and the more than five hundred construction workers in the camp? Are we just going to leave them here?"

"Headquarters orders: hold out in place, block all news, confiscate all communication equipment, prohibit anyone from entering or leaving the camp, and completely sever all contact with the outside world! They have less than an hour more preparation time than the other besieged fortresses; the rest is up to fate!"

"But that's just a temporary wooden fortress. It can't even withstand heavy artillery. It would crumble in the face of a massive beast tide!" Jian Sheng roared, his unease growing wildly.

"Orders are absolute, there's no other way! We must set off immediately. If we're even a minute late and surrounded by the beast tide, none of us will be able to escape!"

Jian Sheng closed his eyes briefly, suppressing his surging emotions, his voice chillingly cold: "Everyone, prepare for battle immediately! Everyone departs in 15 minutes. Not a minute can be wasted!"

He turned and rushed back to his tent, his face ashen as he informed Lin Zhizhi, his tone unusually grave.

Lin Zhizhi stared at the tense mecha team outside the tent, her fingertips trembling slightly, and said in a deep voice, "Brother, this mission is not a simple raid, it's a death trap with nine out of ten chances of survival."

"I know that the main force of the beast tide has come out in full force. If we, with our small numbers, try to sneak around behind enemy lines to attack the mother nest, we will be surrounded on all sides and have no way to retreat once we are exposed. Even if Percival joins the battle, our C-level squad simply cannot withstand the defenses of the mother nest." Jian Sheng's voice was extremely low, full of suppressed solemnity.

"Are you scared?" Jian Sheng looked up at her.

Lin Zhizhi gripped the weapon at her waist, her eyes resolute, showing no sign of backing down: "I'm not afraid!"

"Then prepare the mechs immediately, check all energy sources and weapons, and depart at once!"

Meanwhile, chaos reigned within the temporary camp. City guards and laborers had their communication equipment inexplicably confiscated and were forcibly locked inside the camp's fortress. The gates were tightly shut, and the rules were strictly enforced. Everyone looked bewildered, unaware that a catastrophic disaster was approaching. They had been utterly abandoned, becoming pawns in this war. Once the beast tide arrived, they could only hold out for their lives, without even a chance to call for help.

The 30-man mech squad quickly assembled. In preparation for the long-distance raid, all heavy firepower equipment and surplus ammunition were left at the camp as a final support for the city defense forces. The lightweight engines of the mechs started up, and the entire team silently plunged into the boundless dense forest. The dark trees all around them resembled the claws of giant beasts, ready to devour them at any moment.

On flat terrain, a Class C mech can reach a full speed of 60 kilometers per hour. However, in dense, shady forests with towering trees and intertwined vines, its speed drops by 40%, to a mere 36 kilometers per hour. Even more deadly is that a mech warrior with average talent cannot run at full speed for more than 90 minutes. Exceeding this limit will cause permanent damage to the mech's neural pathways, or even paralyze it in the jungle, making it an easy target for beast hordes.

Command of the team was handed over to Marcus. Jian Sheng and Lin Zhizhi piloted their mechs, acting as vanguard scouts, leading the main force for 1 kilometer. Every step was fraught with anxiety. The route planned by headquarters seemed to avoid the main force of the beast tide, but the jungle was fraught with danger. The slightest movement could lead to annihilation. The S-class mech Percival would only rendezvous near the mother nest and would not accompany the main force for the entire journey.

Jian Sheng's electromagnetic load could support a full-speed sprint for 3 hours, far exceeding that of the other team members, but the main force simply couldn't keep up with his pace, and the team's progress was constantly slowed down. While keeping a close eye on the movements around the jungle, his earpiece filled with the faint electrical sound of the mecha detectors, he frantically thought about the loopholes in the battle plan, becoming more and more alarmed as he thought about it, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

This wasn't a raid at all; it was bait!

Using a C-class mech squad, along with an S-class mech Percival capable of flying away at any time, they drew the attention of the beast horde, buying time for Seven Rings City to gather its main force! From the moment they set off, they were expendable pawns being pushed out. Percival had the ability to fly and could evacuate at any time in a crisis, while these C-class mech warriors were destined to perish in the beasts' bellies.

Escape? Refuse the mission and leave the party?

Absolutely impossible. On this planet, leaving Seven Ring City means certain death; refusing military orders means having nowhere to stand in this vast world.

"Calling the captain! Calling the captain! The team member's mech is overloaded with energy, and his muscles and nerves are experiencing stress reactions. The unit urgently needs rest! Urgently needs rest!" Marcus's anxious voice came through the headset, filled with undisguised exhaustion.

Jian Sheng gritted his teeth, staring at the approaching crimson beast tide marker on the satellite image, and said in a deep voice, "Rest in place for one and a half hours. Everyone, take complete cover. Turn off the mechs. No light sources or sounds allowed!"

The first forced march covered only 40 kilometers and had not yet been detected, but satellite communications were already bringing the devastating news of the fortresses falling. The piercing alarms sounded intermittently, eventually fading into silence. Each silence represented a fortress being trampled flat by the beast horde and all its members killed.

After escaping 40 kilometers northeast, they had to turn back and head straight northwest. This meant cutting directly into the heart of the beast tide. Every kilometer thereafter was a matter of life and death. If they were discovered, they would be isolated and helpless, and certain death would be their only fate.

The wind in the dense forest carried the smell of blood, and the surroundings were eerily quiet, with only the deathly silence of insect chirping, which only made one's heart tremble, as if countless intelligent beasts would pounce from the shadows at any moment.

Lin Zhizhi's voice came through the mecha link, carrying a do-or-die determination: "Brother, I have to tell you about my abilities. If I don't, I'm afraid I won't have another chance."

"Speak." Jian Sheng stared intently at his surroundings, his nerves on edge.

"Sister Lin Lan said that my crystal energy perception isn't A+, it's almost S-rank. I've awakened the exclusive ability of an S-rank mecha warrior ahead of schedule—I can touch the crystal cores of intelligent beasts, read their brain memories, and know the deployment, routes, and troop distribution of the beast horde!" Lin Zhizhi's voice was urgent. "But I can only deal with lower-level general-rank intelligent beasts. I can't touch high-ranking intelligent beasts like adult Hydras at all. If I forcibly read their memories, I'll be severely injured by the backlash from their crystal cores!"

"Last time in the southern valley, you were able to find the Wise Beast Tribe so quickly, was it because of this?" Jian Sheng suddenly realized.

"Yes, Sister Lin Lan told me to keep this secret and not tell anyone, but now, we can only rely on it to survive."

Jian Sheng's eyes sharpened, and he immediately slammed his hand on the small door of the mecha's auxiliary compartment: "Bai Sheng! Wake up, get up and get to work!"

As soon as the hatch opened, a snow-white figure darted out. Bai Sheng flapped its semi-transparent wings, its eyes still sleepy, but it instantly sensed the deadly danger. Its fur stood on end, and it chirped warily.

"Take off and conduct wide-area reconnaissance to find any lone low-level intelligent beasts. Notify us immediately upon spotting a target, but do not make any noise!"

Bai Sheng immediately understood, transforming into a white shadow and silently disappearing into the dense forest, not daring to linger for even a moment. Time passed second by second, each second an agonizing ordeal. An hour went by, but Bai Sheng still hadn't sent back a signal. The entire forest was eerily silent, not even a single bird in sight. Clearly, the beast tide had passed, and all creatures had either been slaughtered or had fled completely.

After two breaks, they still came up empty-handed, and everyone's spirits sank. The intelligent beasts had come out in full force, and there were very few stragglers left. If they couldn't find any survivors to read their memories, they would be blind and would eventually run into the beast tide's encirclement.

Of the 100,000 regular troops in the entire Seven Rings City army, only 2000 were C-level mecha warriors, each one incredibly precious. But this beast tide, conservatively estimated at nearly 10,000 general-level intelligent beasts, along with countless soldier-level explosive insects and six-legged dogs, swarmed across the sky, enough to devour everything.

Seven Rings City dares not abandon its northern fortress zone. Once the fortress network is destroyed, mineral resources will be completely cut off, mechs and weapons will be unable to be resupply, and the city will eventually be permanently besieged by the intelligent beasts and collapse without a fight. But in this gamble, their squad is the most tragic bargaining chip.

During the fourth rest, the ground beneath their feet was covered with the marks of the beast tide's trampling. Giant ferns were crushed into minced meat, and the ground was littered with the remains of ordinary star beasts and foul-smelling blood. The air was filled with a strong stench of blood and the stench of beasts, which was pungent and unpleasant. The soil under their feet was soaked in blood, soft and sticky.

This is already the heart of the beast tide, the danger level has instantly reached its maximum, and you could encounter intelligent beast patrol teams at any time.

Just as everyone's hearts were in their throats, Bai Sheng suddenly made a rapid, sharp "squeak" sound in their earpieces, his voice filled with extreme vigilance—target detected!

But a new problem suddenly arose: the mech's long-range cannon was too powerful, and the gunshots were deafening. Once it fired, it would instantly expose the entire squad's position, attracting countless intelligent beasts, making it extremely difficult to capture them alive.

"Marcus, the entire team, take cover where you are. All mechs must shut down completely. Maintain absolute silence. If you make even the slightest sound, the entire team will die!" Jian Sheng said in a low, ruthless voice.

Everyone held their breath, not daring to even breathe loudly, and the dense forest was filled with the heavy smell of blood.

Just as Jian Sheng was at his wit's end, the Libra mech beside him suddenly drew two heat-generating swords from its back. The blades instantly glowed red-hot, scorching the air with a sizzling sound. Lin Zhizhi then piloted the mech, using the swords as ladders, plunging them deep into the giant ancient tree hundreds of meters tall beside her. She climbed upwards, sword by sword, her movements swift and silent, finally stopping 40 meters high in the dense canopy, completely concealed.

Jian Sheng immediately took the battle knife she dropped and, following the same method, climbed up the ancient tree opposite and hid among the layers of branches and leaves. The two of them looked down from their high position and stared intently at the jungle below, waiting for the lone intelligent beast.

Every minute and every second felt incredibly long. The dense, chaotic footsteps of beasts echoed through the jungle, shaking the ground slightly, yet no lone figure was ever seen. Finally, after more than half an hour, the main force of the beast tide passed through, and a few straggling intelligent beasts appeared, staggering. Ultimately, they were not as intelligent as humans; under the weight of the large-scale march, the exhausted young had completely fallen behind.

The two simultaneously locked onto their target: a juvenile hypoderm, barely two meters long, thin and clearly separated from the herd, utterly alone. Even as a juvenile, its claws remained sharp, and its mouthparts dripped with corrosive saliva, making it still deadly.

Jian Sheng quickly scanned the surroundings to make sure there were no other intelligent beasts lying in ambush, and immediately gave Lin Zhizhi a hand signal.

The next second, the Libra mech leaped from a height of 40 meters, its heat-generating blade slicing down with a whooshing sound! Without the slightest hesitation, the blade cleaved the young Hydra in two!

A general-level intelligent beast has multiple hearts within its body. Even if its body is cleaved in two, it will not die immediately, but will only struggle in excruciating pain and temporarily lose its ability to resist. Lin Zhizhi controlled the mecha and quickly used her battle blade to slice open its head, revealing the pale blue crystal core deep within its brain. She then immediately jumped out of the mecha, ignoring the stench and blood covering her body, and reached out to tightly grasp the warm crystal core.

Instantly, a pale red halo enveloped her, and her body became burning hot, as if a fire had ignited within her. The energy of the crystal core surged in frantically, and countless fragments of memories frantically drilled into her mind: the deployment of the beast tide, the location of the mother nest, the patrol routes...

A deathly silence fell over the surroundings. Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed on their surroundings, fearing that a sentient beast might arrive at any moment. Jian Sheng, weapon in hand, stood guard beside her, his nerves stretched to the limit. Every second felt like an eternity. The stench of blood filled their nostrils, a constant reminder that they were in dire straits, their lives hanging by a thread.

For a full ten minutes, the young Hydra completely lost its life and its body became completely cold before Lin Zhizhi slowly opened her eyes. Her face was deathly pale, her lips were bloodless, and her eyes were filled with extreme exhaustion and terror.