(The fan base of the Grand Alliance increased by 50,000 again, presenting the first additional chapter for the "Alliance Hierarch Zeg C??".)
As the body of the Zeg fell heavily onto the ground, the fluid it was about to spit out got shook up into utter disarray.
When the jet tiger insect was about to gather its strength to spray again, Mu Fan swung it in the opposite direction once more.
Consequently, the body that got tossed to one side got harshly slammed towards the other side.
Crash! Crash! Crash! Crash!
Mu Fan, holding the jet tiger insect with one hand as if he were slamming a sack, repeatedly smashed it dozens of times.
When Luo Jianjin and others arrived, their mouths hung open as they watched Mu Fan, who seemed fiercer than a fierce beast.
Wolf, with a confused expression, patted Bearded on the arm, "Boss... is that a jet tiger insect in this kid's hand?"
The muscles at the corners of Luo Jianjin's eyes twitched; he took a closer look and gasped, "It really is."
"Damn," White Hair burst out swearing again.
This kid, if he used an exoskeleton, would literally reach the heavens!
What the jet tiger insect meant, they in the Tiger Hunting Team knew all too well: To exterminate this monster, one had to use rockets or a particle cannon for long-range bombardment upon sighting it, or a Ghost Fighter had to carry out a low-altitude bombing.
Otherwise, if you got too close and it sprayed you just once, even the mecha couldn't handle it.
But now, they all saw the scene of Mu Fan mercilessly tormenting a jet tiger insect.
Tracy's eyes moved away from the scope of her sniper rifle.
"Mu Fan has incredible strength."
Yes, indeed, this scene would not feel as discordant if the captain were doing it. However, seeing Mu Fan's lean figure crazily smashing a terrifying jet tiger insect, the disproportionality of his body offered an immensely strong visual impact.
"Mu Fan!"
Luo Jianjin couldn't hold back and finally exclaimed.
Because he clearly saw that the jet tiger insect's eyes had already turned white.
This was one of the standard indicators of death for the Zeg Clan.
After the central nervous system of the Insect Clan completely collapsed, the eyes naturally turned white; this was proven through countless practices.
"Mu Fan, stop it; that Zeg is already dead." Eventually, Luo Jianjin spoke again, drawing Mu Fan out of his frenzied state.
His palm loosened, and although the outer shell of the jet tiger insect still looked intact, inside, it was probably smashed into a mess of flesh and had no sound. Previously like a water bag, its inflation stretched oral apparatus also sagged deflated.
Sigh~
Mu Fan looked at the Zeg corpse beneath his feet, silently retracting his hand armor behind his back.
Better to avoid letting them see it during such times.
"Kid, well done." Wolf was the first to give a thumbs up, having never seen anyone physically smash a jet tiger insect to death before.
Mu Fan, a bit embarrassed, gave a sheepish chuckle.
"Mu Fan, how did you end up here?"
"I encountered a lone guard, chased after it, and just after I killed it, I got ambushed by this Zeg," Mu Fan briefly explained.
He still had a vague doubt in his mind, but it felt a bit too elusive to voice.
"Has the battle over there finished?"
"Yes, it's over. The Mecha Army came over and cleared these Zeg Clan members. This time it wasn't a small nest; they discovered a temporary base that the bugs had just set up on the outskirts of the jungle. It just so happened that these expeditionary soldiers stumbled upon it."
Luo Jianjin told Mu Fan about what had happened.
"Let's go, let's head back and meet those expeditionary soldiers, Deer will drive us around once more, and then we'll head back."
The group returned to the recent battlefield, where by now, the five mechas that had completed their mission had already returned to base.
The 13 surviving soldiers sat on the ground tending to their wounds, their faces filled with gratitude when they saw the Tiger Hunting Team.
Without the sudden joining of Hunting Tiger and the support from Dingchuan Academy's Mecha, this group of soldiers, already in dire straits, would have faced annihilation.
"Thanks, I'm Todd, captain of the 27th squad of the Expeditionary Army from planet 131. Without you, my brothers and I would probably have perished here. I also apologize for my previous prejudices."
The man, his face covered in blood, bowed his head while the other soldiers stood up to salute.
"Think nothing of it. Where is your Expeditionary Army's Mecha Army? Why didn't they come, especially under these circumstances?"
Todd shook his head. "The Military Department equipped us with 80 Mechas, but currently, we've discovered two shallow surface rich mines where two-thirds of the Mechas are assigned to protect. The remaining Mechas are advancing deeper with the main force, and two are stationed at the base. We couldn't call for backup in time."
Mu Fan had a vague impression from their conversation that the Expeditionary Army's situation was not as relaxed as previously discussed with his companions.
"27th squad, standard issue is 36 men, now only 13 remain. I've failed these brothers."
"Captain!"
"Captain."
The Tiger Hunting Team members remained silent upon hearing this, the reality being much grimmer than they had presumed.
"Weren't the reports from the Military Department about small-scale Zeg presences? This kind of damage doesn't seem like it," Luo Jianjin needed concrete intelligence.
"We were stationed at Base 1, encountered groups of 20 Zeg six times, and groups of 50 twice during four days of duty without incident. But this time, unluckily, we ran into several hundred Zeg..."
"We stumbled upon an outpost built by the Insects," added Wolf.
"Uh-huh."
"Your information is invaluable, Todd. Take care, we still have a mission and must leave now."
"Okay, we will have to wait a few more minutes before rescue reaches our base, given the considerable distance from here."
After parting ways, they headed back to the riverbank to meet with Deer.
Mu Fan watched, astonished, as Deer deftly unearthed several landmines from around the Spider Chariot. In ten seconds, Deer was holding nearly twenty landmines.
Mu Fan was unnerved thinking that if all these mines were to explode simultaneously, probably not even the armored vehicle would remain.
"Hold tight." At the press of a pedal, the electrically driven Spider Chariot surged wildly forward.
While being jostled around in his seat, Mu Fan's mind kept returning to a nagging question.
"That escaping guard was suspicious! According to the briefing, the Zeg clan is fierce and unafraid of death, with almost no instances of desertion in battle. So why did the guard I spotted quietly withdraw from the battlefield, and why was I ambushed by a jet tiger insect as I was approaching its corpse?"
"Jet tiger insect... why was it there?"
Mu Fan's eyes suddenly widened, realizing the blind spot in his thinking.
The guard had escaped temporarily, but the jet tiger insect must have been there all along. That Zeg never engaged in the battle.
What was its presence there for!?
The actions of these two insects were steeped in eeriness.
Something was definitely off about that area...
Still charging forward in the Spider Car with missions yet to be executed, Mu Fan forcefully suppressed his thoughts, deciding to consult with Black first and then report to Luo Jianjin.
In the jungle, expeditionary soldiers remained seated in their original spot.
Little did they know, a very minor battle had just taken place 300 meters away.
The body of the jet tiger insect lay silently on the ground, with several areas ahead covered in a corrosive green substance.
Now, near the body of the jet tiger insect, an oval black rock suddenly rose, followed by limbs stretching out from under the fallen leaves, and two slender antennae also rose from the leaves.
A black insect, about 1 meter long, appeared on the surface. As its antennae touched, an invisible sound wave emitted, and the insect slowly crept deeper into the jungle.
Compared to the speed of the tiger worms, this insect's pace was excruciatingly slow...