The plunder of the heavens begins with the Spirit Cage.

Following Lu Qianwei's command, the airship formation turned nimbly and accelerated towards the distant base.

It was during this journey that an urgent distress call came through the driver's channel...

Chapter 56 Wasteland Hunt!

"Da da da! Da da da!"

The modified machine gun at the rear of the armored vehicle spewed fire wildly, bullets grazing the gravel and exploding into pools of green blood among the pack of fanged dogs.

The wind, carrying the smell of rusting metal, swept past the armored vehicle's metal sheeting as it moved backward—the howling of snarling dogs chased after the vehicle's rear, growing ever closer.

Nearly a hundred gray-white shadows leaped forward, their limbs pushing off the ground and their bellies almost scraping against the sand.

The dust kicked up by the alternating movement of the six legs was swept up by the wind and stuck to the rear bumper of the armored vehicle, the glazed hard shell on the shrimp-shaped pointed head gleaming coldly.

His slender body was taut like a fully drawn bowstring, as if he were about to leap up like a shrimp and drag the enemy off the vehicle.

Romo, half-crouched on the roof of the modified pickup truck, had his feet firmly planted on the welded alloy plate.

With one hand gripping the explosive shotgun wrapped in rough burlap, and the other hand holding onto the protruding iron ring on the roof to stabilize his center of gravity, he aimed at a fanged dog leaping into the air and slammed his elbow down on the trigger.

The muzzle flashes stung his temples, the old display on the butt of the gun flickered red, and the shotgun shells slammed into the beast's head, exploding into a cloud of grayish-white blood mist.

"Get the convoy out of control!" Romo's roar pounded into the communication channel, the static mixed with the sound of wind and sand piercing the eardrums.

No one paid any attention to the jarring sound.

The ten modified vehicles immediately and skillfully dispersed to the left and right in a three-four-three formation, plowing crisscrossing tracks into the sand.

The first three armored vehicles, equipped with spliced ​​laser cutting cannons mounted on their roofs, unleashed arcs of purple-blue light that tore through the sand and dust, leaving scorched marks as they chased after the beast horde.

The four tracked off-road vehicles in the middle have had their rear wheels replaced by heavy-duty tracks.

The vehicle was covered with the remains of wrecked mechs used as makeshift armor, and half-destroyed mechanical arms welded to the doors swung wildly, swatting away several fanged dogs that pounced on it.

The gravel kicked up by the tracks as they rolled over the sand hit an animal that was trying to crawl under the vehicle.

The last three were modified vans, with the cargo compartments piled high with "Starlight" brand meat and vegetables.

For the safety of these fresh foods, a twin-mounted DIY machine gun was even installed inside the vehicle.

Under the barrage of fire, bullets and arcs of light intertwined in mid-air, causing the pack of snarling dogs to howl in agony.

On the front of the vehicle in front of Romo, a DIY rotary cannon was emitting a deafening roar.

The cannon barrel was wrapped with several layers of tattered canvas. As the barrage plowed across the ground, it created a crossfire with the laser cannon of the pickup truck on the left, turning the leading snarling dog into a bloody mess.

The regenerative abilities of the sharp-clawed dog are limited in basins where manna flowers are scarce.

The few that were torn apart by the machine gun twitched a few times and then never fired again.

Among them, the Devouring Beast that was accidentally hit by the Spirit Seed turned directly into black water and seeped into the sand.

But more cheetahs, taking advantage of the smoke and dust, circled around to the flanks of the convoy like ghosts.

With a leap, its six sharp claws sliced ​​through the air, instantly knocking down two team members who were firing backwards.

"Help—!" Before they could even utter a word, the two were dragged into the sandstorm by the Devouring Beast and disappeared.

"Damn it!!"

Romo cursed and threw two concussion grenades, sending several spiky dogs that had pounced on the back of the vehicle flying backwards.

They crashed into the pack of beasts behind them like bowling balls being thrown into the air. Those Devouring Beasts that couldn't dodge in time were knocked off balance, some were pinned down, and others staggered and bumped into each other, creating a chaotic mess.

"Float..." Just as Romo was about to celebrate, three sharp-clawed dogs suddenly leaped up from the left and right sides of the vehicle, their shrimp-shaped sharp heads aimed straight at his chest and throat.

At the critical moment, the prosthetic body displayed a reaction speed beyond that of ordinary people, helping him to flip over, crouch, and leap over extremely dangerous obstacles to avoid the attack.

But his two teammates in the same car weren't so lucky. They were grabbed tightly by the Devouring Beast's five strong hands and dragged off the car.

"Ah Wu, Chen Liu! Damn it!!"

Romo cursed as he drew his sword from his waist and slashed it across the side of the neck of the foremost griffin.

The cheetah swung its head and lunged, its sharp claws barely grazing his back and tearing the fabric of his protective suit.

Romo used the momentum to his side, kicking the hard shell on its head, sending it flying as he closed in and slashed at it.

After the cracking sound, the grizzly dog ​​collapsed to the ground, convulsing, and was never able to stand up again.

Although the Devouring Beast bones could fetch a good price in Starlight City, one needs to be alive to spend them now.

Romo was worried about whether the opponent could be resurrected, so he decisively hurled it at the pack of fanged hounds chasing behind him.

As the chase dragged on, the six biologically powered legs ultimately couldn't outrun the electric-powered modified car.

Without the source energy provided by the Mana Flower, the Sharp-Clawed Dogs were being constantly harvested like kites by the convoy, their numbers dwindling with each battle.

The situation on the battlefield gradually turned around. The squad paid the price of six dead and seven wounded, and the number of beasts was reduced to single digits.

The remaining sharp-toothed dogs were all killed by the convoy's crossfire!

Romo wiped the blood and sand from his face. As the smoke slowly dissipated, the convoy unknowingly arrived near the giant crater where the bunker had been bombed by missiles.

The high-speed run at full capacity just now had already taken a toll on these cobbled-together modified vehicles.

More than a dozen vehicles were damaged.

Some armored pickup trucks had their alloy fenders scratched with deep grooves by the sharp claws of gnats.

The van's doors were deformed from the impact, and the graffiti on them was obscured by blood and dust. The van was covered with shrapnel, and cold wind was blowing in through the holes.

The welded-on cargo bin had its edge curled up halfway, revealing the goods swaying inside.

With the danger over, the cars in the convoy stopped one after another, their engines making a few weak sputtering sounds before going completely silent.

Just then, the laser cutting cannons on the roofs of the two pickup trucks suddenly started emitting black smoke.

The neon light on the cannon barrel flickered a few times before going out completely.

"Phew~ thankfully it didn't fail at the crucial moment!" one team member breathed a sigh of relief.

But he still jumped off the vehicle, cursing and swearing, and rushed toward the smoking cannon barrel with a wrench in his hand.

The other maintenance team members also got out of the vehicle and began to maintain and repair the vehicle and weapons.

There are still more than 20 kilometers to go before we can get back to Ironstone Fortress. On this stretch of road, no one can guarantee that they won't be attacked by vagrants.

The Wanderers are a group that came from the Xi'an Wasteland and Tianxing Mountain.

Through the Wasteland Weekly Report of the Heavenly Palace, different types of Devouring Beasts gradually developed their own territorial awareness, and they would not run to other areas unless necessary.

If the regeneration rate of Devouring Beasts in other regions is 100%, then the regeneration rate of Devouring Beasts in the Tarim Basin is 40%.

This probability will decrease further as the mercenary guild and superhuman squad established in Starlight City, along with the forces within the basin actively eradicate the Mana Flower.

Therefore, the basin became the last refuge for many forces that could not let go of their dreams of power.

Instead of going to Starlight City or joining other factions, they were thinking about seizing territory.

These outsiders often lack their own monetary systems.

Aside from trading, there's only robbery and theft!

Chapter 57 Plasma Scorpion 2.0

The clanging and banging of metal against metal was particularly jarring at the edge of the empty, giant pit.

Romo stood to the side, lighting a cigarette, staring blankly at the giant crater, as if the violent explosion had happened just recently.

A middle-aged man dressed like a cowboy from the West walked up to him. "Romo, what are you standing there for?"

Romo turned his head and saw that the person who came was Old Scar, the captain of the second squad of Ironstone Fortress.

The guy had a hideous scar across his face, his cowboy hat was pulled down low, revealing a stubble of unruly stubble on his chin, two modified revolvers at his waist, and a shard of a sharp hound's shell hanging from its holster.

“What else can I think about?” Romo took a drag of his cigarette, the smoke and sand making him cough twice. “Six people, gone just like that.”

Old Scar clicked his tongue, squatted down, picked up a piece of animal bone that had been blown out of shape, and weighed it in his hand: "In this godforsaken place, when does someone not die?"

In the past, our dozen or so squads from Ironstone Fortress fought independently, with only three to five or even ten people daring to venture out. Against a beast horde of this size, they'd probably be wiped out completely.

In preparation for the future situation, almost all the forces in Ironstone Fortress, or rather the basin, reorganized their scattered squads into large groups of thirty or forty people for collective travel.

In any case, whether it's a large or small-scale trip, it will attract the emotional perception of the Devouring Beasts.

The larger the armed force, the greater their chances of survival.

"Hey!" Old Scar grinned, kicking the sand at his feet. "Today's battle, losing six people is already a good result, a blessing from God."

He paused, pointed to the cobbled-together equipment on his team members, and said with a hint of self-deprecating helplessness, "We can't compare to those guys in the bunker. They're all covered in power armor when they go out, and their firepower is so strong it could flatten a mountain."

We're lucky if we can even scrape together a few barely usable exoskeletons.

Romo silently stubbed out his cigarette and looked at the wrecked vehicles and injured team members in the convoy: "When we get back, I'll have to talk to the city lord about buying weapons."

Since acquiring the laser gun production line, the Dark Fortress has begun to delegate the purchase of some weapons and individual exoskeletons to the remaining factions within the basin.

These forces are all bridgeheads, and each has the resources that the fortresses need.

Lu Qianwei naturally couldn't let them disappear so quickly; those who needed support should still be supported.

Speaking of this, Old Scar thought of the meat and vegetables in the car.

"Do you think the meat Star City sold us might actually be a product of Planet Gina?"

"Heh, what are you thinking about?" Romo shook his head without even thinking.

"If there really is a new planet, wouldn't they transfer the people of Starlight City there to colonize and build up the colony?"

What can you do in the wasteland?

"I think these are new species that have emerged in the mana ecosystem."

Don't forget that the Dark Fortress recruited quite a few experts and professors in its early stages; having that capability is no small feat.

“You’re right,” Old Scar nodded in agreement.

It's no wonder they thought that way, since these vegetables and fruits appeared shortly after the appearance of the Devouring Beasts.

It is well known that the Mana ecosystem has overthrown the Earth's original ecosystem. Given the existence of the Devourer Beast, it is not surprising that other edible species would also appear.

As for the disgusting feeling of eating Devouring Beasts?