After Rice ended his call with Xiao Feng, he swiftly mobilized the large excavators to head out beyond the city limits. Although Black Whale City was only a second-tier city, the number of excavators that could be summoned was limited—nearly twenty in total. Groups of seven or eight excavators were stationed outside the city, poised for action.
When the beast swarm was approximately twenty kilometers from Black Whale City, all excavators immediately went into operation.
According to the intelligence provided by Mark, the underground beast horde was about fifteen meters beneath the surface, requiring the excavators to dig down to that depth.
With seven or eight excavators working simultaneously, the task was relatively straightforward.
Within about half an hour, the excavation was complete, and the machines retreated into the city. The rest was left to the X Legion. With the digging sites confirmed, Brada's artillery units had clear targets. The city's defenses were arranged in three directions, and Brada promptly issued combat orders.
Fortunately, the Brown Company's arsenal in Black Whale City was well-stocked with ammunition. Without such ample supplies, fending off this ferocious beast assault would have been nearly impossible.
Time flew swiftly as Professor Mark began the countdown. With only ten seconds remaining, the beast horde would soon emerge before the deep trenches they had dug.
Besides the artillery units assembled and ready, armed helicopters and armored vehicle forces arrived outside the city, fully loaded with ammunition and prepared for battle. Without the powerful support of Brown Company, even the X Legion would be no match for this scale of warfare.
In the final ten seconds, everyone held their breath, sensing the trembling of the earth beneath them.
Rice gripped his communicator tightly, eyes fixed on the map. With only two seconds left on the countdown, he suddenly commanded, "Fire!"
In an instant, Brada's artillery batteries unleashed a full barrage.
Scores of massive shells erupted nearly simultaneously from the barrels, gliding through the air for two seconds before striking their targets with devastating precision.
Yet, just a moment before impact, several enormous beetle-like monsters darted into the freshly excavated trenches. On the satellite feed, these colossal beetles startled everyone. None had ever seen such creatures before—their massive mandibles alone were nearly the size of a truck's cab, revealing just how immense their bodies must be.
But this monstrous head appeared on the satellite for only a brief instant—perhaps sensing something amiss during the excavation, they paused, only to be immediately pummeled by a dozen or more shells. The ensuing deafening explosions enlarged the trenches to nearly twice their original size.
All the giant beetles that emerged were obliterated by the relentless blasts. Dark green ichor splattered grotesquely.
The second wave of bombardment further expanded the trench, and amidst the rising dust, the agonized roars of the beasts echoed.
Xiao Feng and his comrades, stationed several hundred meters from the trench, stood ready for combat, awaiting the beasts to surge out so they could strike back with fury.
What none had anticipated, however, was that after several bombardment rounds, the trenches had become so vast that the beasts who rushed out into the pits could not quickly climb back out.
This gave the X Legion a crucial advantage. Amidst the relentless shelling, beast limbs were continuously blasted out of the trenches, falling to the ground like a rain of flesh.
Just as the troops were exhilarated, Professor Mark informed Xiao Feng, "The beast horde is retreating. It's clear they are seeking another strategy."
Frowning, Xiao Feng declared, "We can't let them escape." He immediately connected with Brada via communicator: "Brada, order the missile units to deploy ground-penetrating bombs. Seal off their retreat!"
Brada chuckled, "Understood…"
Seconds later, a volley of missiles, each trailing fiery tails, launched from the city's missile platforms. They struck precisely along the beasts' retreat paths within the tunnels, then ferociously burrowed underground.
A series of explosions far more powerful than artillery shells erupted, mushroom clouds soaring impressively.
Instantly, the beasts halted their advance within the trenches.
Rice, standing beside Xiao Feng, watched the frozen red dots on the screen. "What if they just stay put down there? This stretch spans several kilometers. We can't bombard the entire length with ground-penetrating missiles, can we?"
Xiao Feng smirked coldly, "If they won't come out, then we'll go in."
"You're mad! How can we possibly enter? Sending just our soldiers would be like throwing them to starving wolves, and even our armored units won't be effective."
"Don't worry. Rush and I, with Tugou and his mech squad, will go in."
Rice stared at Xiao Feng in astonishment. "Are you sure? We don't even know what kind of beasts lurk underground."
"Only by going down can we find out." Xiao Feng grabbed his Black Angel rifle and said to Rush, "Let's go. We'll clear the trenches one by one. The surface troops will use ground-penetrating bombs and artillery to contain them. Then we go down and slaughter them."
Rush's expression darkened. "I'm not going with you. My psychic powers are nearly depleted. Doing something this dangerous is just asking me to die."
"I really despise you—a Level 8 psychic with such a cowardly heart. Fine, if you won't come, then Tugou and I will go down. You stay here and watch the show…"
With that, Xiao Feng, clutching the Black Angel, followed by Tugou and his mech warriors, advanced toward the trench before them.
Tugou chuckled as he walked beside Xiao Feng, "Why don't you just head back, Xiao Feng? Our squad is enough to handle these beasts."
Xiao Feng shook his head. "We still don't know what kind of beasts dwell underground. If anything unexpected happens, it won't be good. Your mech warriors' firepower only suffices against D-level beasts. Anything above that puts you in grave danger. With me there, we might stand a chance against C-level beasts."
"Heh, I like C-level beasts—they're the main source of my energy crystals," Tugou said as they approached the massive trench, now littered with shattered beast limbs, making it impossible to discern the creatures' true forms.
Tugou was the first to leap down. Xiao Feng followed immediately. Inside the limb-strewn pit, Tugou and his mech warriors moved less nimbly than Xiao Feng, who soon reached the exit point from which the beasts had emerged—only to find it blocked by soil and beast remains.
Tugou caught up beside Xiao Feng.
"Damn it, what do we do now?" Xiao Feng cursed.
Tugou grinned, "Easy. I'll handle it." With that, the armor on Tugou's chest abruptly opened, revealing a dozen small grenades. One by one, he launched them. Though compact, the grenades packed formidable power. After several detonations, the blocked debris was cleared, leaving a passage wide enough for entry.
As Xiao Feng prepared to move in, Tugou grasped his arm. "Boss, follow me closely…"
Xiao Feng understood Tugou's concern and did not object. Cradling the Black Angel, he followed behind Tugou, whose shoulder-mounted spotlights illuminated the trench's interior.
As more mech warriors entered, additional spotlights flickered on, enabling visibility for dozens of meters inside.
The trench resembled a massive bomb shelter—remarkably, the cooperative efforts of those giant beetles had shaped it into such a structure, much to Xiao Feng and his team's astonishment.
Tugou and three mech warriors advanced in a line, each clutching large automatic rifles. These weapons were highly effective against E-level and below beasts but required sustained fire—dozens of rounds—to fell a D-level beast.
This applied not only to them; Xiao Feng's Black Angel also lost efficacy against D-level monsters, performing effectively only against E-level foes.
They swiftly moved toward the trapped beasts.
Gradually, the growls of the monsters reached their ears. Rice's voice crackled in Xiao Feng's headset: "Xiao Feng, be careful—the beasts are counterattacking!"
Xiao Feng smiled faintly. "Copy that." Then to Tugou, he said, "Prepare for battle. The beasts are coming."
The four mech warriors instantly assumed combat positions: two prone, one half-crouching in the middle, and the last standing with a large automatic rifle. The squad was ready.
Xiao Feng hefted the Black Angel, eschewing its scope at this range and wielding it like an automatic rifle.
Seconds later, the ground trembled as the massive beast swarm surged forward.