Chapter 69: When Poor, Tactics Interweave; When Rich, Firepower Covers

"General Qin, I know you're anxious, but don't be impatient first," Zheng Mu said, pointing to the interior of the base vehicle around him, meaningfully asking,

"General, you can't really think this base vehicle I have is just for logistics and enjoying myself, right?"

Qin Zhi was silent. His gaze looked towards everyone's current attire.

Apart from Zheng Mu, Leng Bingyue and Cai Shengkun still looking fairly normal, next to them, Jiang Lalan was wearing fuzzy pajamas with bunny ears, hugging a bucket half-filled with fried chicken, seasoned liberally with chili powder that had spilled quite a bit.

Ge Feng and Sang Luo were both dressed in the ultimate comfort gear of short sleeves and long pants, ready for a spa treatment.

Of those with more common sense due to ordinary family backgrounds, only Gu Ming was still wearing his equipment, apart from holding a glass of orange soda in his hand and slippers on his feet.

"Ahem..."

Zheng Mu cleared his throat, also feeling somewhat awkward. But he quickly spoke in a completely just and dignified manner:

"General Qin, don't judge us by their ignorant appearance. Do you think we're actually enjoying ourselves right now?"

Qin Zhi again kept silent.

From what he had seen in the live footage from the Fei Yun Zhou these past days, Zheng Mu and the other two hadn't worn the same outfit even once each day. And right now, Leng Bingyue was clearly wearing some light makeup.

Thinking about how other candidates would be stuck wearing one set of equipment for practically a month. Some unlucky ones would have their gear destroyed amidst fighting monsters, forced to wear mismatched green equipment or something.

As for girls wearing makeup... they not only wanted to apply cosmetics, but also wished they could enjoy a nice shower followed by a relaxing beauty sleep without mental burden...

But this was the Devouring Desert! The monster-filled Devouring Desert everywhere! Who else had a massive house vehicle like Zheng Mu's group, unafraid of wind or sun exposure?

Who else had mechanical creations on constant 24hr patrols handling security like Zheng Mu?

"Tsk, General Qin, even if you insist on looking at me that way, there's nothing I can do. I've racked my brains and poured blood and sweat, bearing tremendous pressure and enduring the ridicule of mechanics being useless for hundreds of years. I created so many mechanical creations..."

"In the end, can I still not enjoy myself a little?"

Alright, Zheng Mu gave up arguing. He was indeed living rather extravagantly.

But he dared to swear to the heavens this was only because that wench Leng Bingyue was also aboard. If it had only been him alone, heh, Tiffany and Mali Rose would have been extremely busy!

"Okay, tell me, can this clunky base of yours also conduct battles?"

"No matter how powerful the functions of your base vehicle, in the end, it's not suited for combat."

"Even in the form of an armored vehicle, the travel speed is still too slow, especially in this undulating desert terrain, completely lacking any combat advantage."

"Once caught up by the insect swarms, even this massive thing would only end up swallowed and dismantled into pieces by the hordes."

Hearing Qin Zhi's extremely serious analysis, Zheng Mu instead raised his brows. He slowly said:

"General Qin, apart from personally exercising my muscles and bones sometimes, I'm actually quite averse to that kind of reckless, fist-to-flesh rushing into the fray. Compared to charging recklessly into battle, I prefer seeing my enemies get charged at recklessly by my mechanical creations."

Qin Zhi's gaze inadvertently glanced at the light screen. On it, the lv67 A-rank Explosive Fist user He Guang was currently, as Zheng Mu described, left-punching and right-jabbing as he charged recklessly into the endless insect hordes, fists-to-flesh...

Beside, Gu Ming also couldn't help looking at the longsword at his waist, thinking his own combat style made him one of those "reckless men" in Zheng Mu's eyes.

Seeing Qin Zhi completely unable to accept the idea that he could currently resolve this insect crisis, Zheng Mu didn't feel like explaining any further either. Seeing they were about to near the battlefield, he directly ordered Red Queen to deploy the base.

Following Zheng Mu's order, everyone somehow remained steadily standing without the slightest shaking or vibration. Yet under their shocked gazes, the interior structure of the base started rapidly transforming.

These changes were completed in the blink of an eye.

"Red Queen, gather all the Patrol Eagles above the battlefield. I need to completely grasp every single one of those insects on scene. Absolutely can't let those bastards escape from my hands."

Red Queen acknowledged and responded.

Beside, Qin Zhi watched Zheng Mu brimming with confidence. Doubts couldn't help arising in his heart.

Could Zheng Mu really deal with the insect monsters they needed to call up reinforcements against?

He had just thought this when Qin Zhi immediately shook his head.

He admitted that Zheng Mu was indeed a genius with great future potential. In his opinion, as long as Zheng Mu steadfastly kept developing, improving his strength, and didn't stray from the right path, given a few decades, he would definitely emerge as one of the country's ten Great Imperial Guardians.

However, thinking highly of Zheng Mu's future didn't mean he could accept the nonsense Zheng Mu was currently spouting.

"There's no need to interfere too much over on Zheng Mu's side here. Your credits are already sufficient, stably in first place. As for your reward for earning top distinctions, I'll approve it after you've enrolled in our Southwest Martial Official University...."

"But for now, carry out orders - immediately pull all personnel here towards evacuation points!"

Qin Zhi's expression was solemn. Mentally, he had already made the worst case scenario assumptions here.

If the Ant Queen escaped today, the army overseeing this exam location would definitely face some censure. As an academy closely tied with the military, the Southwest Martial Official University would inevitably be impacted somewhat too.

However, Zheng Mu seemed not to have heard Qin Zhi's current commands at all, directly leading his group towards an elevator.

As the elevator brought them to the top floor, Zheng Mu and party once again emerged atop the base's rooftop. From here, more than half the battlefield could clearly be seen.

"Your Excellency, the Patrol Eagles have finished deployment. Currently over the battlefield: 36,615 insect monsters attacking, total numbers still rising."

When that beautiful woman stated the number of insects on the battlefield was still rising overall, Qin Zhi didn't believe it. However, when an enormous 3D sand table model appeared before them in a flash of blue light, accurately marking the location of every monster and career holder, Qin Zhi felt the words he was about to say get stuck in his throat.

Eyes shining brightly, he watched the sci-fi sand table, unable to help raising his head to look at the Patrol Eagles in the sky above. It was one thing knowing their function, but seeing the battlefield overview formed from the flocks of Patrol Eagles was clearly another matter!

"Hey, Zheng Mu, can these mechanical creations of yours be sold?"

Zheng Mu was surprised. Sell his mechanical creations? This issue had honestly never occurred to him before. Still, Heaven's Dao didn't seem to have stated he couldn't sell them. At best, it was that after a creation was sold, if future judgements targeted the creator, i.e. himself, the sold construct's functions would automatically shut down.

"Uh, let's chat about that issue later. General Qin, I'll still have to ask you to hurry up and get all of our people pulled back first. We're about to start over here."

Qin Zhi sucked in a deep breath, somewhat hesitant. Right now, his men had already killed their way practically into the center! About to discover that silvery-white Ant Queen. Retreating at this time....

"Really retreating?"

He couldn't help asking stubbornly: "He Guang and them have already fought into the center! If we retreat now...."

Zheng Mu rolled his eyes. "So General Qin, do you feel Instructor He and them are equipped to handle that mental attack?"

Qin Zhi shut his mouth, at a loss for words. Finally looking at the numbers representing the ant hordes still swelling on that virtual sand table, he gritted his teeth and took out his communicator.

"All personnel, immediately retreat from battle zone! Repeat! Immediately retreat from battle zone!"

Hearing this voice emerge from the communicators on their bodies amidst the fighting, He Guang and the others were first stunned. Still, despite the intense reluctance and already spotting the silvery-white segment of the Golden Ant Queen, as trained troops they immediately obeyed and began retreating to the outskirts of the insect legions.

To advance one meter took great difficulty. Yet to retreat happened in the blink of an eye as they quickly exited the battle region.

The people directing and commanding from aboard the aerial ships had also heard Qin Zhi's retreat order from their communicators. Inside the enormous conference room, hearing "Retreat immediately from battle zone!" many emergency contacts rallying nearby reinforcements were bewildered.

"What the hell? Retreat? What is Qin Zhi doing? We're just about to pin down that Ant Queen! Why retreat?"

A military higher up authoritatively grabbed his communicator, ready to cancel this order. But a nearby elder indifferently stated:

"Forget it, they've already pulled back."

Upon his words, everyone turned to look. He Guang and them had already withdrawn to the borders of the insect hordes. Advancing each meter had been exceptionally arduous, yet their retreat finishing in the blink of an eye.

Old Man Li's gaze chilled as he watched the Ant Queen busily retreating on the screen. This was a clever creature. Or rather, monsters that reached a certain level had intelligence far from low. Despite the tens of thousands of ants protecting it nearby, seeing the career holders retreat, it didn't order a single pursue, even proactively making the ants cede an escape channel for them.

"Old Man Li, shall I personally take action? That brat Qin Zhi must have damaged his brain ordering to retreat at this time!" The general stood up, volunteering.

But Old Man Li merely glanced at him, gaze sweeping over that slightly shrivelled leg of the other party's pants. (idiom - has a disability/flaw)

"Little Xiong, I believe you have the resolve to fight that Ant Queen to the death. But let's see what that brat Qin Zhi plans first. You know what kind of person he is. Rash at times, but clear on life's big rights and wrongs."

As he spoke, Elder Li directly had Qin Zhi's current location projected.

"Oh, isn't that the little punk Zheng Mu's mechanical creation? I see..." Spotting that metallic building lurking at the edge of the battle region, Elder Li's eyes lit up as he immediately connected to Qin Zhi's communicator.

"General Qin, I just received notice you ordered retreat. Please explain it to this old geezer."

Atop the base rooftop, hearing it was unexpectedly Elder Li calling directly, Qin Zhi automatically straightened, chest puffed and chin raised.

"Yes, Elder Li. Mainly, through Classmate Zheng Mu's mechanical creations here, I discovered our attacks not only failed to suppress the numbers of those insects, but they were still expanding instead."

"And most of our personnel basically have no countermeasures against such high intensity mental attacks."

Elder Li was silent a moment. Hearing no sound from the communicator, Qin Zhi involuntarily glanced at Zheng Mu beside him. Seeing the latter confidently nod, he finally spoke what even he himself felt rather preposterous.

"Elder Li... Classmate Zheng Mu said he has a way to resolve these insects."

Aboard the aerial command ship, everyone was instantly gobsmacked hearing this. General Xiong directly grabbed the communicator.

"Qin Zhi, are you saying your reason for ordering those teams we barely managed to fight through retreat was because Zheng Mu came up with a way to solve this problem?"

"That Zheng Mu who's only been awakened these past two to three months?!"

"Qin Zhi, are you hearing the nonsense you're spewing?!"

General Xiong's furious roars were clear even from where Zheng Mu stood. His brows slightly furrowed as he reached out and directly took the communicator.

"I don't know which general you are, but even if I've only awakened these past few months, if you dare look down on me for that, then Tianji University and those other academies you saw serve as good examples."

"Don't forget, I'm the one helping you military guys clean up this goddamned mess right now!"

Under everyone's admiring looks, Zheng Mu awe-inspiringly switched off the communicator after speaking.

"Motherf*ckers, acting all big when you've got less ability than this genius mecha master here. That guy had better pray he doesn't have a daughter!"

After cursing lowly, seeing the career holders sent by the military had basically exited the battle region, he directly ordered Red Queen:

"Let's start the fun!"

Red Queen nodded. Clear excitement was also showing on her face now.

"Activating [Torrential] artillery system. Estimated deployment time: 30 seconds."

Right as Red Queen's voice faded, amidst mechanical clacking noises, the base below their feet faintly rumbled. Next, as Zheng Mu watched excitedly and the others in shock, dense artillery barrels suddenly erected from the rooftop structures of the base buildings, accompanied by swarms of mechanical arms activating away.

Before their very eyes, everyone witnessed shell after shell automatically loaded into those firing chambers.

Red Queen's icy voice flowed with a strange rhythm:

"Patrol Eagle scans locked on, trajectory calculations shared. First barrage launch sequence complete."

The next instant -

"Boom boom boom!"

Deafening howls shook everyone as fiery flowers of hissing shells dragging long white contrails tore through the air from the billowing gunsmoke, soaring in beautiful arcs of descent... straight onto the insect legions that had barely retreated from sealing off the Ant Queen's escape just earlier!

Sharp whistling sounds came from overhead. He Guang still stared blankly upwards. But beside him, General Qi and Elder Qing Yun had faces flushed with excitement, as if awaiting this moment forever.

The next second, violent blasts instantly consumed the dense insects below. Terrifying shockwaves swept up storming sand waves rolling their way.

"Whoosh!"

Gusts of wind directly sent He Guang's hat, still one face blank, flying. A silhouette swiftly enlarged amidst the roaring winds.

"Splat!"

He Guang only felt as if he had been bitchslapped, his entire face plastered in disgusting insect bodily fluids, the stench making him want to hurl. But before he could even retch, the nightmarish sandy dust storm had already hurtled over.

Luckily, some present possessed wind and water type skills, managing to quickly block the terrifying sandstorm.

However, right then, the skies seemed to rain down foul blood and guts, accompanied by descending shadows all around them.

"Plop plop!" "Ploplop ploplop...."

Everyone fell back one after another bombarded by the falling objects. Shock, yet also strings of "what the f*ck is happening?!" rang out.

"Motherf*ckers! Just what the hell happened? Who the hell made such a gigantic ruckus, wanting to send even us flying sky high?!"

Suddenly, everyone froze, as if thinking of something inconceivable. Lowering their heads in unison, they indeed only saw the disgusting sight of mangled insect limbs and dismembered body parts scattered all over the ground.

At the same time, the Xiong General who had been raging endlessly just a minute ago at Zheng Mu daring to mock his lack of ability hadn't even managed to think up a satisfying curse to vent his anger yet.

The next instant, he was frightened by the loud detonations that abruptly came through, nearly losing his footing.

"What the f*ck?! What's happening?!"