"Damn, there are too many of these bugs!" The Viking fighter pilot's roar rang out in the communication channel.

His fighter plane had just completed a gorgeous mid-air transformation; the mechanical joints made heavy metallic collision sounds and the hydraulic system hissed under high pressure.

With a loud bang, this war machine weighing tens of tons fell heavily to the ground, raising a circle of dust mixed with insect corpses and bullet shells.

The driver's hands were bulging with veins on the joysticks. He pressed the shooting button hard, and the 30mm Gatling machine guns equipped on both arms immediately spewed out deadly flames.

“Try this, you disgusting creepers!”

The firing rate of 6000 rounds per minute formed a metal storm that tore the charging Zerg into pieces.

The airflow generated by the high-speed rotation of the machine gun rolled up the blood mist on the ground, forming a strange red vortex around the fighter plane.

However, the Zerg's tactics changed faster than anyone expected.

In the sky, hundreds of gargoyles suddenly changed their flight paths. Their dark purple wings shone oilily in the sun, and they swooped down on the Empire's air formation like dark clouds of death.

"Banshee Squadron, take precautions! I repeat, take precautions!"

A hasty warning came over the communication channel, but it was too late. Three gargoyles collided with a Banshee fighter at the same time, their sharp forelimbs piercing the engine intake accurately.

The fighter plane exploded into a fireball in the air, and the burning wreckage fell like a meteor.

Further away, the Imperial Navy's Thunderbolt fighter group was engaged in a tough battle.

The swollen spore sacs of the celestial demons continuously spew out acidic mucus, which forms a deadly interception net in the air.

A Thunderbolt fighter tried to pass through the gap, but the cockpit glass was covered with slime.

The pilot's desperate screams came to an abrupt end as the fighter plane crashed into the ground.

"Damn it! Our air support is disappearing!" Collins, on the co-pilot seat, said in a trembling voice.

On the tactical screen, the blue dots representing friendly forces are rapidly decreasing.

The Zerg seemed to have broken the Empire's air superiority in an instant, and this terrifying adaptability made everyone feel cold.

Suddenly, the sirens sounded sharply.

The pilot looked down and gasped, seeing countless knife bugs rushing towards his Viking fighter like a tide.

These two-meter-long killing machines make a creepy rubbing sound of their shells as they move, and their triangular heads have compound eyes that flash with hunger.

"Launch the defense jet!" the pilot shouted.

The flamethrower on the belly of the fighter plane spewed out a blazing wave of fire, burning the first few dozen knife bugs that rushed over into charcoal.

But this was just a drop in the bucket, as more insects continued to charge forward, stepping on the corpses of their companions.

The first knife bug jumped onto the fighter's mechanical legs. Then the second, the third... In a blink of an eye, the entire Viking fighter was covered by a dense swarm of bugs.

Their sharp chitinous bone blades tore at the armor plates frantically, making a teeth-grinding metal friction sound.

"They're gnawing at the circuits!" Collins looked at the system warning in horror, "The left arm transmission system is damaged!"

The pilot desperately shook the joystick to try to shake off the parasites, but it was all in vain.

A knifeworm found a weak point in the joint and pierced the hydraulic pipeline with its bone blade as accurately as a scalpel.

High-pressure liquid splashed out, forming a shining rainbow in the sunlight.

Even more terrifying was the swarm of gunworms in the distance. These biological artillerymen were arranged in neat arrays, and their bulging abdomens continuously fired acid bombs.

An acid bullet hit the Viking fighter's right shoulder joint, and the hissing sound of corroding metal made people's scalp tingle.

"Warning! Right arm weapon system is offline!" The electronic voice coldly announced the death sentence.

The pilot looked at the red alarm flashing on the screen, his flight suit soaked with sweat.

His finger hovered over the emergency release button for a second, then finally let go.

"No, there are Marines all down there!" He gritted his teeth and said, "Start the self-destruct sequence and set a 30-second countdown!"

Collins didn't hesitate and quickly entered the command.

The ticking sound of the countdown echoed in the cockpit, forming an eerie duet with the sound of insects biting metal outside.

"Attention everyone! This is Viking-7!"

The pilot turned on the full-band communication, "We are about to self-destruct, please evacuate the 100-meter radius immediately! I repeat, evacuate immediately!"

Through the cracked observation window, the pilot saw the Marines on the ground struggling to establish a defense line.

Sergeant Marcus looked up over here, and for the first time, an expression of shock appeared on his resolute face under the mask of the power armor.

There are 15 seconds left in the countdown.

A knife worm finally tore open the cockpit armor, its hideous mouthparts less than 20 centimeters away from his face. Smelly mucus dripped from between its jagged teeth, corroding the dashboard.

“For the Empire!”

He whipped out his pistol and shot the beast in the head.

The yellow-green slurry sprayed all over the cockpit.

Countdown to 5 seconds.

More knife bugs were pouring into the damaged cockpit. Collins had already taken out his combat dagger, and his right arm was pierced by the forelimb of a knife bug, and blood dyed half of his body red.

3 ... 2 ... 1 ...

Deafening explosions echoed across the battlefield. The shockwaves generated by the overloaded nuclear core of the Viking fighter swept away all the insect swarms within a hundred meters.

Burning metal fragments fell like raindrops, creating countless small pits on the ground that emitted blue smoke.

When the smoke cleared, Marcus looked up from behind the bunker. There was only a charred crater left where the Viking fighter had been, with countless Zerg limbs and arms scattered around.

But further away, more bugs were pouring in from the horizon.

“Soldiers! Hold your ground!”

Sergeant Marcus' roar exploded in the communication channel, his voice so hoarse that it almost broke.

His bloodshot eyes stared at the surging swarm of insects ahead through the cracked mask of the power armor.

Hundreds of remaining Marines stood back to back, forming the final defense circle in the center of the square.

Their CMC power armor was already scarred, with the paint peeling off revealing the metal skeleton corroded by acid.

Blood foam condensed on everyone's breathing mask, but the hands holding the gun were still as steady as a rock.

"It's an honor to serve alongside you, soldiers."

Marcus slowly pulled out the last magazine, and the sound of metal collision was particularly crisp in the silent battlefield.

He then slapped the magazine into the chamber of the gun, and the sound of the bullet being loaded was unusually crisp.

The roar of the insect swarm was getting closer.

The arthropods of tens of thousands of knife worms beat the ground, forming a suffocating drumbeat of death.

The tall figures of the warrior insects were looming behind the insect tide, and their sickle-shaped forelimbs were glowing bloody in the setting sun.

The knife worms in the front row had already entered the 300-meter range. Corrosive saliva dripped from between their open jaws, burning wisps of green smoke on the ground.