Chapter 159: They Are Here
Hu Yan was a bit puzzled as well. He had already explained the method; given Sates’s usual caution, he shouldn’t have made such a rookie mistake. "The Marshal isn’t a careless Beastman. What happened?"
Sates said with a grave expression, "I suspect the Evolution Species you mentioned—the ones that can transform into Beastmen—infiltrated our ranks at some point. They know all of our defensive deployments and our response strategies, which is why their sudden sneak attack caught us completely off guard."
Hu Yan couldn’t help but frown. "If that’s the case, word of what happened tonight will probably reach the Insect Mother’s ears very soon. We have limited time to prepare. I brought some items to counter those Evolution Species, but the quantity is limited. I need you to recommend a group of exceptionally skilled Beastmen, Marshal. They will be the ones charging at the very front."
"Of course, if anything happens to them, their families will receive a substantial sum of money. If they have children, the army will be responsible for raising them."
Sates’s expression shifted. "You mean, like the medicine you just gave me?"
Hu Yan nodded. "The other items aren’t medicine, but they are designed to specifically target the three types of Evolution Species."
Sates grew excited. He asked eagerly, "Does that mean we can identify the Insect Clan member hiding among us?"
"Yes."
A look of resolve crossed Sates’s face. He straightened his back and declared firmly, "Rest assured, Your Highness. I’ll issue the orders immediately. They are all more than willing to charge into the fray! For our homeland, for the protection of our people, they will give it their absolute all!"
Hu Yan said, "I’ve already had my adjutant bring the items over. If there really is an Evolution Species present, he will force it to reveal its true form first."
When he heard this, a smile finally broke through Sates’s solemn expression. "Third Prince, with you here, the Empire will undoubtedly become stronger and stronger."
Hu Yan shook his head, refusing to take the credit. "It is the result of everyone’s hard work."
But this incident firmly convinced Sates that Hu Yan was genuinely acting for the good of all, not for his own selfish gain.
’He had originally belonged to the neutral faction, always indifferent to political power struggles. But for the Third Prince to still act so unreservedly after everything that happened back then... it was no wonder so many people were fond of him.’
Sates gave Hu Yan a solemn salute. "I must get back to my duties. Please call me if you need anything, Your Highness."
Then he strode away.
It took everyone an hour to clean up the battlefield and get the camp back in order.
Just as they finished, Hu Yan’s adjutant came over carrying a bag of some unknown substance. "Now that you’re all done," he announced, "line up, put your hand in, and coat it with the powder inside. It’s to wash away any residual venom left in your bodies by the small spiders."
Hearing that it would wash away residual venom, and remembering how the Third Prince had just neutralized the giant spider’s poison with a single pill, all the Beastmen immediately formed a line, waiting to use the powder to cleanse any lingering toxins from their bodies.
Strangely, although everyone touched the powder, not a single person had an adverse reaction.
When the adjutant reported this to Hu Yan, Hu Yan was gazing at the pitch-black sky, his eyes deep with thought.
’I believe there’s nothing wrong with what Bai Zhi gave me, and Sates was telling the truth,’ he thought. ’But we still didn’t find any Evolution Species. Now *that’s* interesting.’
’Of course, it’s possible the Evolution Species slipped away before we started the verification.’
’Or, the worst-case scenario: someone leaked our plan. If so, this is a serious problem.’
’The Evolution Species themselves aren’t the most difficult problem anymore. An enemy on the inside, however... one who’s in the dark while we’re in the light, that’s far more troublesome. But it’s not an impossible situation.’
’But whatever the case, at least we can be sure there are no Evolution Species in our ranks for now.’
The giant spider was killed during the night. The Insect Mother received the news the next morning.
The battle erupted just before noon.
Hu Yan had anticipated that the Insect Clan would quickly return in force, so he had his men prepare well in advance.
Only a little over ten thousand Beastmen remained at the camp, all of them elite troops hand-picked by Sates.
The previous night, after suspecting a leak, Hu Yan had changed the plan at the last minute. He told Sates only a portion of the new strategy before leaving with the troops he had brought.
Aboard the Warship, Hu Yan’s adjutant asked curiously, "Third Prince, you said the Insect Clan would certainly return in force. So, where are we headed now?"
Hu Yan replied cryptically, "You’ll know when we get there."
Meanwhile, the Insect Clan’s massive ships had already reached the airspace outside the camp.
Dozens of massive ships circled overhead. From their high altitude, they looked like a dense flock of giant birds.
Just then, countless members of the Insect Clan rapidly descended from the ships. They came in all shapes and sizes, but none were Evolution Species—only the common sort.
The massive ships were spotted the moment they appeared.
Sates stared at the huge ships and said in a grim voice, "They’re here!!"
A subordinate gazed at the massive ships in the sky and asked worriedly, "Marshal, with so few of us, can we really hold them off?"
Sates recalled Hu Yan’s parting words: ’Hold them off, no matter the cost.’
Sates’s expression was grave. "Whether we can hold them or not, we fight to stall them until the Third Prince returns."
Then, he roared, "Prepare to attack!"
BOOM BOOM BOOM—
BOOM—
The night before, they had been caught completely off guard. Most of them hadn’t even had time to put on their Battle Armor.
Today, however, everyone was fully armed and had been waiting for the Insect Clan’s arrival. They were thoroughly prepared. The moment the insects began to disembark from their ships, the Beastmen opened fire with their cannons.
BOOM—
Several of the massive ships exploded mid-air.
Not to be outdone, the Insect Clan retaliated by dropping guided mega-bombs. They were many times more powerful than conventional explosives and could home in directly on their opponents’ positions.
Sates activated the Quantum Shield immediately.
BOOM—
KABOOM—
Countless craters were blasted into the ground.
As the two sides clashed, the members of the Insect Clan continued to pour down from their ships.
The insects were sizable and charged toward the camp at incredible speeds.
The soldiers led by Sates, already clad in their Battle Armor, charged into the fray with their guns, taking down one insect with every shot.
A giant tank-bug charged straight for Sates, but he sent it flying with a single, powerful blast from his gun.
BANG—
The giant tank-bug flew back seven or eight meters, carving a trench into the ground upon impact.
Just then, Hu Yan and his forces reached their destination.
The Warship landed. From the outside, the area looked completely normal, but underneath, it was a whole different world.
Using his spiritual power, Hu Yan pinpointed the location of the small trace he had planted on a member of the Insect Clan.