Chapter 251: Enter the Hive
Translator: Oneshotwonder Editor: Hitesh_
"Lieutenant, I can take over from here. You need to take a rest!"
"Gosh! Wang Tong opened up the tunnel wall!" Overbite screamed with a raspy voice.
"Big Head, ready the nuke. Let's send these b*stards to their maker."
The ninth platoon filed through the hole that Wang Tong had just opened up at the other end of the tunnel. The opening was big enough for only one person through at a time, so it was too small for Zergs and would slow them down significantly. The rocks on the Norton were tough, and therefore, it would take the Zergs a lot of effort to get through.
It took Wang Tong only ten minutes to bore through the 10 meters thick wall. The edge of the opening was straight, and the cut face was smooth. However, no one had the time to ponder how Wang Tong had done it in such a short period as Zergs were still hot on their heels.
While Big Head was busy setting up the mini nuke, Wang Tong was holding off the Zergs at the entrance. Mini nuke was the most deadly weapon a platoon could get their hands on. Since it was meant for mass destruction, the ninth platoon usually wouldn't bring it with them on a regular scouting mission. But they happened to have one this time because they were about to partake in a large scale battle. Jansining had planned to use it at the last moment of their lives to take the lives of Zergs with them, yet he was elated to find out that they didn't have to die with the Zergs, thanks to the newly dug escape route.
"Thirty seconds until launch, we will leave as soon as it is detonated. " Jansining gestured Big Head to move on. He had decided to stay behind to help Wang Tong.
As soon as the Zergs noticed the mini nuke, they started to hiss and jitter, as if they knew the deadly power of the nukes in their shared memories.
"Wang Tong, hurry!" Jansining's palm was sweaty. He got only one shot at this. If he didn't launch the nuke far enough, he and Wang Tong would both die in the explosion.
"Lieutenant, leave everything to me! Go with the others!" Wang Tong shouted at Jansining, but he didn't listen. Wang Tong's GN force suddenly soared to level five, and in a blink of an eye, he shredded a few dozen Zergs into pieces and created an opening for retreat. As he pulled back, he saw a mini-nuke trace an arc in the air near him.
"Bullseye!" Jansining rejoiced at his true aim, but he had celebrated too early. A Zerg jumped nimbly out of his rank and sprinted upward with extraordinary speed, then grabbed onto the mini nuke.
Wang Tong's eyes locked onto the nuke as he fused his blade with GN force, and then threw the blade at his target.
Before the blade hit its target, Wang Tong turned on his heel and dragged Jansining into the tunnel. They heard a deafening blare and felt the earth tremble beneath their feet as soon as they stepped through the newly dug opening.
The nuke exploded in mid-air. A shock wave, carrying its immense power, trampled across the land. The Zergs were reduced into ashes before they had gotten a chance to even scream.
When the roar of the nuke ceased, the dust from the top of the cave had covered everyone's face. "HAHA, we LIVED!"
"Let's keep on going." Jansining laughed and hurried his teammates to move on. He never expected to come out of this devastating battle alive.
No one wasted time on celebrating their near escape; they followed Wang Tong into the cave, trying to get out of the underground cave as soon as possible. The cave was natural, and as they ventured further, the cave system started to become complicated. They felt like they were lost.
Everyone started to glance at Wang Tong from time to time. Wang Tong had been probing the cave with his soul energy. However, he was not able to locate the exit, nor was he able to pinpoint the direction they were currently heading, expect for the vague feeling that they were venturing further down into the deep.
"Goldie 2, please guide us."
"Yes master. There are two routes, one to the exit, and the other to the queen's lair. Which one would you like to take?"
Wang Tong felt the urge to pick the latter. He had never seen a Zerg queen, so his curiosity was piqued.
Wang Tong's teammates didn't dare disturb his soul-searching. They knew that only a fifth level soldier would be able to do that. As they marveled at Wang Tong's ability and experience, they became convinced that he would be quickly promoted into higher ranks.
Wang Tong explained the choices the platoon had right then.
"Since we are here, we should finish off the queen."
"Hell yeah! Even if we all die here today, it would still be worth it."
No one backed down from the dangerous mission. The humans had paid many lives in the battle against its enemies. They said that the foundation of human civilization was made out of the flesh and bones of the soldiers.
"Let's do it!" Jansining announced the team's final decision. They knew that if they were able to get rid of one queen, there would be ten thousand Zergs less on Norton, killing less human soldiers.
Everyone adjusted their soul energy to a minimum level, conserving most of their remaining soul energy for the encounter with the Queen. Following Goldie's lead, Wang Tong guided the platoon as they slowly approached their destination. Wang Tong had given up his searching using the soul energy entirely, since he felt it was depleting his soul energy too fast. He conceded that even at level 5, soul-searching a large and complicated terrain would still be an impossible task.
Overbite was overseeing the detection unit, but he had shut off the communication unit. The platoon figured that the odds of them returning back to the surface was very slim. So, there was no need for contacting the HQ any longer.
Wang Tong marveled at his teammates' courage. He had chosen this route out of sheer curiosity, with full confidence that he would be able to survive the encounter with the queen. However, his teammates had gotten ready to sacrifice their lives before they agreed to come this way. A certain measure of respect to these ordinary soldiers rose inside of Wang Tong.
These men were the real heroes, and it was an honor and bliss for Wang Tong to fight alongside them.
Everyone became cautious the closer they got to the queen's hive. The had walked for over two hours, and some soldiers wondered if Wang Tong had gotten lost.
Wang Tong didn't get lost, but it was the labyrinth-like tunnels that had given the soldiers the illusion of being lost. While studying the 3D map projected onto his brain by Goldie, Wang tong marveled at the intricate and sophisticated design of the tunnels, and realized that these Zergs were not as unintelligent as the human had proclaimed. The design of these tunnels fit Zerg's ergonomics perfectly, and even had a level of aesthetic appeal.
After a while, Wang Tong finally stopped walking as he saw a faint light glowing in front of him. The light was soft as the touch of a morning sunlight. But, it wasn't from the sun, it was from the Zergs' eggs.
They looked down from where they stood and saw an open field the size of a soccer field, covered with a thick blanket of Zerg eggs.
The scene made everyone's hair stand on their ends.
"Wang Tong, we need to finish them off. But we have used up our nuke. Any ideas?" By then, Jansining had installed full trust in this capable new member, and regarded him as the future of the ninth platoon.
No one knew how to destroy these eggs, but they knew that they better do it quickly before they hatched.
In the middle of the eggs sat an enormous caterpillar-like worm. Its body undulated unnaturally as eggs continuously popped out from its rear end.
Soldiers swore that they could hear the heartbeats of the tens of thousands of Zergs in their cocoons across the large field. The sound was irritating and disturbing to listen to.
Wang Tong was shocked by the sight of the Queen. It looked fat and meaty. Beside it were a few Were Kong Zergs, who were giving orders to the spider Zergs to carry the eggs around.
Wang Tong had learned about the Were Kong Zergs, and knew they were extremely deadly. The Were Kongs in this cave looked even more potent and vicious than the ones he saw in the textbook. Wang Tong reasoned that it would be a tough fight with these ugly monsters, and he might not even be able to kill the queen with their interference.
Suddenly, they heard a loud explosion above them, and the ground trembled, as dust flaked off from the cave ceiling.
The explosion seemed to have startled the Zergs. The queen let out an ear-splitting howl, and the Were Kongs went on their the way to scout the surroundings.
"That should be our reinforcements! Our troops are near! Let's do it! Kill that ugly mother*cker! "