Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

"Thump~ Thump~"

With the unknown lying ahead, Bai E's heart began to pump blood faster.

The combat arrangements made yesterday afternoon were meticulous, clearly outlining information about all potential enemies along the route and their respective battle plans. Even if not everyone could remember every detail, a general impression was enough to ensure they wouldn't be completely lost when an encounter occurred.

If his memory served him right, the so-called "Blood Crows" they were about to encounter were actually native species of the planet that had been contaminated by various biological spores released by the Bug Race.

These black birds, originally fond of carrion, cohabitated with a bloodthirsty plant in order to adapt to the drastically changing environment following the Bug Race's arrival. This plant took root inside their bodies and continuously drew nutrients from them, driving the birds to seek food frequently due to their insatiable hunger.

Without carrion... living creatures could also become corpses.

This made the originally timid birds become highly aggressive.

In some way, they were also like diligent bees with pollen on their feet, spreading bloodthirsty plant spores that latched onto any living being they attacked. Even if such a creature survived, it was highly likely to be contaminated with the spores shed during the birds' wing flaps.

Should these spores take root and sprout, the consequences were obvious.

They must not be allowed to get close to the vehicles.

Without a sound, Bai E unlocked the lock of the storage compartment at his feet. Rows of neatly arranged ammunition were ready for use.

...

"Caw!"

A hoarse and unpleasant cry sounded from the branches covered in a sooty black grease, and the misshapen tree trunks twisted into strange shapes. The black birds perched quietly, taking a brief rest.

They had been away from the camp for three hours.

If their goal had been the Bug Race nest, they would have already arrived.

However, they naturally chose a route that would not take them directly through the Bug Race nest, even though their destination lay broadly in the same southern direction.

These areas close to the Bug Race nest were also affected by the ecological contamination brought about by those insects.

"Everyone, be careful," the team leader's steady voice came through the earpiece.

Bai E glanced at the birds resting quietly on the branches, sweat beginning to form in the palm of his hand, his grip unconsciously tightening on the handle of the machine gun.

Passing beneath the watchful eyes of what could be the enemy, it felt like countless gazes were tightly fixed on him from the shadows. The pressing tension was like a heavy black cloud weighing on his heart, making it difficult to breathe.

Everyone watched nervously outside the vehicle, hoping against hope to pass by unnoticed... or else, to go to battle!

If a fight really broke out, it would at least alleviate the current anxiety.

"Rustle rustle rustle..."

The quiet wilderness was filled only with the sound of tires crunching over the sandy gravel.

"Caw!"

Occasionally, a bird would let out a pitiful cry as if from a dream.

The sleeping Blood Crows dreamed of succulent, rotting flesh, large and satisfying chunks to feast upon.

"Caw!"

They bit down only to find nothing!

Disappointment.

Before their groggy eyes, three large shadows appeared.

Living... things?

Blood-red eyes gleamed faintly as the incessant hunger flared up, consuming their entire consciousness.

"Flap Flap~"

With a flap of their wings, the shadows swooped down rapidly.

Intent on feeding before its siblings noticed, it was determined to be the first to feast!

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Gunshots erupted almost simultaneously from three vehicles, and several gliding shadows fell to the ground at the sound.

"Pat pat pat!"

As they hit the ground, they smashed into a heap of gore, with the bright red roots of plants wriggling like little snakes through the flesh, feasting one last time.

These damned creatures bore lethal spores, and it was impossible to let any get close.

The voice of the Caucasian middle-aged man inside the vehicle suddenly heated up, "Enemy contact!"

The thick valve opened, and the middle-aged man with his helmet, as well as another soldier, stepped on the platform inside the vehicle and leaned out. They skillfully hooked the combat suit's belt buckle onto the mount next to the skylight and steadied themselves with heavy machine guns and flamethrowers, awaiting the arrival of those damned creatures.

The sound of gunfire awakened the beasts that had been slumbering in the early morning, as countless pairs of crimson eyes, resembling blood agates, snapped open almost simultaneously.

Everywhere was teeming with them.

Their original camouflage, as dark as the tree trunks, made it impossible to discern their numbers. But as soon as their eyes opened, the countless pairs of blood-red eyes resembled the gaze of the Grim Reaper, and a sense of pressure as sharp as a blade's edge against the skin was instantly maxed out.

"Click."

Bai E opened the firing port, and the gun barrel protruded.

The shooting conditions were not optimal, and the angle couldn't cover the entire area.

But he was only responsible for patching up gaps. The main firepower came from the heavy machine guns and flamethrowers mounted on the roofs of the three vehicles.

In an instant, black wings unfurled, and hordes of blood crows blanketed the sky.

The convoy continued to move, everyone quietly waiting until they came within a sufficient shooting range, when the commanding officer's voice suddenly roared in everyone's earpiece, "Fire!"

"Da da da da da~"

The bullets from the heavy machine gun rapidly depleted, with casings bouncing and flying off in the path of the vehicles.

The vicious metal storm instantly tore a gap in the dense blood crow flock, revealing the sky through it.

"Pup pup pup~" Bullets pierced through flesh and feathers scattered. Like rainfall, the corpses cascaded down.

Three dense barrages of fire swept left and right, and for a time, the massive army of blood crows could not advance an inch.

In an instant, drawing on past experiences, the blood crows, not completely irrational, found the characteristics of the "heat weapons" created by these beings called "humans."

Just in an instant, their flight paths scattered, preferring to take a longer detour to maintain a certain distance from each other.

After spreading out, the pressure of their assault was noticeably greater than before. The three heavy gunners targeted the enemy's dense airspace as much as possible, but their efficiency greatly decreased.

After drawing closer, tongues of fire over twenty meters long burst forth.

The flamethrowers with closer lethal range, were even more effective against these small to mid-sized creatures.

Under the high-temperature blaze, all the blood crows in range immediately turned into roasted birds, plummeting down, and those deadly spores were also completely neutralized by the heat.

"Da da da! Da da da!"

Bai E's machine gun began firing in short three-round bursts.

The dense blood crow swarms would receive focused attention from the heavy machine guns and flamethrowers, while the machine gun inside the vehicle targeted those smaller groups of blood crows that were closer to the vehicles.

With their overwhelming numbers, it was impossible for the convoy to eradicate them all. Success meant escaping to a distance where the blood crows couldn't pursue due to exhaustion.

So what was needed at this moment was not a suppressive barrage of fire, but precise and lethal defense!

[Successfully hit several rapidly moving long-distance targets, light firearms proficiency experience +3.]

[Hit target, dealing 22 points of piercing damage!]

...

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