Chapter 726 725 "Watching Brother Micro-Management"

The mighty marching column suddenly stopped like a snake with its throat stepped on. There were the roars of Zerg and the roar of guns everywhere. The momentary wail was drowned out by the explosion in an instant.

A low-flying Banshee bomber squadron was about to provide fire support when the Protoss Phoenix fighters landed from the clouds.

The Viking fighters escorting the bombers had disappeared at this moment, and the Banshees had completely become live targets for the Phoenix. The speed of the Phoenix fighters was far higher than that of the Banshees, and they easily put these bombers within the range of the ion cannon.

A Banshee was hit, and a large amount of black smoke came out of her longitudinal balance wing. Then the right wing lost balance and fell uncontrollably from a thousand feet in the air, swirling and falling to the ground like a big bird with broken wings, not far from Ister.

What really caught the Empire off guard was these Protoss, who were once loyal allies of the Terran Empire, but were now used by Amon to deal with the surviving Protoss and humans in the Koprulu sector.

Ister still had a little time to figure out what was going on. The train running from west to east along the track had completely stopped, and it was unclear what kind of force could stop such a behemoth.

They got off the train on the right side, and a group of Zergs pouring out of the tunnel worms were rushing towards this side from the north. There were quite a few of them, and the collision of their shells and their low roars were very dense. There might be hundreds of them, and there would be more soon.

Wormholes usually mean the beginning of a larger-scale attack.

Ister's experience of escaping death on the battlefield several times kept him calm. There was a train between them and the Zerg, which was not as strong as a bunker, but enough to provide a buffer and shelter.

Istel and his soldiers were not alone. They were in the middle of the marching column of the 3rd Brigade of the 7th Marine Infantry Division, and next to them was the siege tank column of the 143rd Armored Brigade. The powerful armored forces could quickly break through the siege and come to support.

The companies and platoons in other carriages of the train also broke open the doors and windows that did not obey their orders and came out. They were all wearing CMC-400 power armor. The armor of the raiders was heavier and stronger, and they would not be in any trouble even if the train overturned.

As Istel summoned his soldiers, the familiar rustling of the Zerg moving was like the ghosts of the dead getting closer and closer.

The soldiers who got off on the other side of the train opened fire, and the sounds of electromagnetic rifles, grenade launchers and various weapons rang out one after another. These soldiers got off the train at a bad time and in a bad position, right between the attack routes of the Protoss and the Zerg. They were soon pounced on by swarms of Zerg, and the terrible screams were chilling.

"They're coming!"

A springtail with a pair of ridge sails on its back jumped onto the roof of the train. Its deep purple carapace shone with a metallic luster in the sun, and its long and thin wings fluttered gently, making a rustling sound, like a rattlesnake in the desert.

This was a signal to attack. With heavy crashes, springtails jumped onto the roof one after another, and their long knife-like claws pierced deeply into the steel, as easily as if it were just a piece of tofu.

The sharp teeth and claws of the alien insects are not inferior to the hardest substances in nature. Even the springtails with the largest base in the swarm can easily disembowel them.

Since the first contact between humans and alien insects, not only has human military technology made great progress, but the swarm has also absorbed the genes of advanced species, strengthened usable traits, abandoned useless traits, and continued to evolve.

Nowadays, the genes of the species that make up the huge swarms, such as Zerglings, Hydralisks and Ultralisks, have also undergone earth-shaking changes. They have acquired sharper claws, stronger shells and bone shields, and even more efficient muscles and organs. Even their appearance is very different from the past.

The modern Zerg is very different from the Zerg faced by Emperor Augustus in his time. This is why the Empire is still at an absolute disadvantage today, even though it has better warships, better power armor and weapons.

The most effective way to deal with the Zerg is fire. In addition, the Terran Empire has a deterrent weapon that can turn the tide of the war, that is, the Xel'Naga artifact.

But even though they are undoubtedly heading towards failure, the Empire still has no intention of activating the artifact. No one knows why. If the artifact can still be used normally, the Korhal side will definitely activate it on the front battlefield to reduce the pressure on the Imperial Army.

This makes people worry whether the artifact has been damaged long ago, but the Korhal side did not announce it in order to stabilize the morale of the army.

For a moment, the hoppers just stood high, taking in everything with their glowing red eyes. Eastel's soldiers opened fire, and the fierce firepower immediately swept down the monsters. In the torrent of bullets, they were riddled with holes in an instant, falling from the top of the train like dead grasshoppers.

These were just a few waves in the vast sea of ​​​​worms. Just like in the past, several times or even dozens of times the hoppers soon appeared from the bodies of their dead comrades.

These wild little monsters were exactly the same in Eastel's eyes. Their genetic codes were extremely easy for the swarm to copy. One larva could mutate into two hoppers, and a group of hoppers could kill a group of marines and make them flee in disarray.

Ister's platoon quickly focused its firepower forward, sweeping the Zerglings on the roof to the ground. Some of them managed to jump to the ground, but the Marauder's Punisher grenades immediately turned these "lucky ones" into a pile of debris made of insect limbs.

Their weapons were equipped with self-charging supercapacitors to shorten the reload time, in other words, more bullets could be fired in the same amount of time.

But there were so many Zerglings, they kept popping out from the other side of the train, drilling out from the open doors and windows of the carriages and the roof, and swarming up.

Their bodies gradually piled up in front of Ister, and the number recording the ammunition capacity on the HUD display in front of him jumped wildly on the number 110-0. Hundreds of spike bullets were fired during this period, killing several Zerglings.

Several Reapers flew over from the other side to join the battle, hitting the Zerglings that emerged with their P-45 Gauss pistols, while dropping cluster bombs in their hands to create explosions and chaos.

The flames spewed from the jump packs allowed them to move flexibly on the battlefield at an amazing speed.

Ister knew those scouts. They were good players from the Ice Cave Harvester training camp. Although most of them had bad records before joining the army, they never performed badly on the battlefield.

At this time, with a tooth-grinding sound of metal tearing, a huge Hydra Hydra easily opened the car door with its terrifying sickle-shaped claws. Its powerful snake-like body was covered with dense and hard armor, which made people think of the mythical Hydra monster.

A storm of poisonous spines that were enough to penetrate fine steel hit Ister like a storm, as fast as bullets. One of them almost flew past the side of his mask. The jagged sharp edge and smooth curve were comparable to the most deadly daggers of humans.

"Kill it!"

The plunderer strode forward from behind Ister's right, letting the spines tinkle on his heavy armor. A Punisher grenade was loaded into the launcher and accurately hit the most vulnerable chest of the Hydralisk, causing it to scream repeatedly.

Countless bullets were poured onto the bloody body of the giant snake at this time, and finally it fell forward to the ground with a threatening hiss, and stopped moving.

Before Istel's men could cheer and celebrate, several explosive insects rushed out from the swarm of Zerglings and hit the carriage in front of Istel head-on. The earth-shaking explosion immediately blew the carriage into the sky, and the splashing thick green strong acid corroded the ground into black pits.

This brought greater chaos, and more and more Zerglings and Hydralisks rushed out of this gap.

A dense burst of spines swept down Daniel, Ernest and Aldous, and their life support index immediately dropped below 30% on Istel's helmet display, and terrible screams were immediately heard in the channel.

"Help me!"

"They're coming at me!"

"Medic!"

Aldous's body was covered with spines and he died soon after he fell to the ground.

Daniel had a terrible gap in his abdomen, and a long spine was completely embedded in the armor. He groaned for a while and soon died.

Ernest had two spines stuck in his thighs. He sat on the ground sideways, shooting with the Gauss rifle in his hand, while screaming and moving back with difficulty.

This scared a group of vicious dogs, but it couldn't scare a few tigers. The springtails were like the velociraptors on Earth, moving in groups, cunning and cruel.

Swarms of springtails were running towards Ernest, eager to tear him apart.

His two comrades immediately ran over to help him, but there were already seven or eight Hydralisks crossing the wreckage of the train, and the storm of spines made it impossible for them to move at all.

Middlebrook rushed up again, dragging Ernest's arm and was knocked to the ground after a few steps.

"Request fire support." The display screen of Istel's helmet showed that the siege tanks of the 143rd Brigade had been set up and the fire strike group was online, so he immediately uploaded the coordinates.

"We can't help him, damn it, retreat!"

As he spoke, someone was knocked down again, and Istel's soldiers fell one after another. They were retreating, and the swarm was getting closer and closer.

Ernest fell behind, and after a few desperate cries, he was pounced on by the swarming alien insects in an instant and torn into pieces alive. The remains of his limbs were thrown everywhere, which reminded Istel of a pack of wolves eating a young deer.

It was much more terrifying than that.

Only the most determined and cruel warriors could remain calm about this, which was too difficult for Istel.

Several more people fell down, and a dozen springtails surrounded the plunderer William and quickly dismembered him.

Misfortunes never come singly. The sound of the digging claws suddenly rang out, and a large number of cockroaches appeared from their left wing. Two squads of another company were instantly overwhelmed and now they were heading straight here.

"Use armor-piercing bullets! Spike bullets are useless against them, they are just tickling." Eastel immediately transferred people to resist the cockroaches, but now they were even less able to stop the enemy in front.

Although most of Eastel's men were veteran soldiers who knew what to do, others made them stand there in a daze, and they only remembered to shoot mechanically based on instinct.

The artillery support finally arrived. The explosion sounded not far in front of Istel. Hundreds of hot tungsten bullet fragments splashed outward from the landing point, emitting a dazzling light. Large pieces of springtails and hydralisks were blown into pieces. Minced meat and broken shells kept falling from the air. Bright red blood covered the ground, as thick as oil.

Their pressure was greatly reduced. Istel ordered to concentrate firepower on the cockroaches on the left wing, and the medics immediately seized the opportunity to rush to rescue people.

On the battlefield, medics who follow the Marines are high-risk jobs. Experienced Zerg and Protoss troops will give priority to them, just as they will choose to give priority to killing banelings and mechanical sentinels.

The fine traditions of the Earthlings have been inherited to some extent. Most of the medics in the Imperial Army are women. This is probably the most correct thing the Marine Headquarters did.

Istel still had time to confirm the casualties. What made him sad was that they lost one-third of their manpower in just a few minutes, and most of them were caused by the spines of the hydralisks.

They left their hometown and crossed hundreds of light years just to die here.

Even if they can survive and return to the end, the war will leave a permanent mark on these people. Many retired soldiers still maintain their alertness to fight at any time. The Zerg is like a nightmare that lingers.

When Istel's troops return to the rear to rest, the personnel will be replenished, and then there will be more new faces under his command, and many of them will die like today.

Again and again.

"Sir, I can still fight." Although Lin said this, he was sobbing in pain. His drooping arm may not be able to continue fighting. There are five or six spinal needles inserted on it, which is terrifying, and some are almost pierced through.

"I think he must be amputated." A medic who was opening a nano medical kit said to Istel.

"We can find a better one for him." Istel said immediately. To be honest, Istel likes this girl, but she doesn't buy it.

For Lin, the war is over. He will be sent to Haven or Telador for better treatment, away from this nightmare battlefield.

As soon as the voice fell, a shell landed not far away, and the soil surged and fell like a pillar.

"Aim and shoot, you blind idiot!" The medic said while busy with the work at hand.

Sometimes the medic is a kind mother, sometimes a raging lion, and sometimes it is just in between.

"Be careful, the tunnel worm is approaching!" Someone suddenly shouted in the channel.

Ister immediately looked in the direction of the sound, and saw a strange worm with a metal head breaking out of the ground: "No, it's our tunnel worm."

Batches of semi-mechanical Cerberus Zerg appeared and immediately fought with the Jörmungandr Zerg. The formation of these Zerg was very methodical in comparison, just like an army deployed in battle formation.

Obviously, the Lord of Cerberus was watching here.