Chapter 104: The Romance of Men!

"Cool!"

A wave of admiration echoed through the team. Although they were curious about the combat capabilities of the mech, they knew better than to let their guard down during battle, lest they lose their lives. So, they didn't pay too much attention to Zhou Yuan.

However, they had a clear view of the situation with the swarm. It was true that the moment he opened fire, the front ranks of the swarm were decimated.

Every single bug died horribly, exploding, leaving not a single intact corpse behind. Moreover, the current dark green fog had them puzzled; they could only guess that it might be some sort of biochemical weapon targeted at the bugs.

Soon, their guess was confirmed. It indeed was a biochemical weapon designed against the bugs!

The soldier bugs moved quickly, breaking out of the area enveloped by the dark green fog in no time. However, once they emerged, their speed drastically reduced, going from a rapid dash to a slow crawl, and continuing to slow down even more. It was as if they had gone from being sports cars to tricycles, the drop in speed was not minor.

After they took care of a bunch of soldier bugs, they realized that the rest hadn't caught up. On closer inspection, those bugs had actually collapsed within the dark green fog.

They lay on the snowy ground, curled up like dead spiders, motionless, with only a few dozen still twitching their legs.

"Wow!"

"This biochemical weapon is pretty fierce!"

Zhou Yuan was also astonished by the effectiveness of the protoplasm grenades. He had seen the semi-finished version, the B2 model, in the morning, but compared to the finished B1 model, the B2 was practically child's play.

Unfortunately, no matter the era, biochemical weapons have always been among the most resource-intensive to produce, making large-scale deployment impossible.

"They're not dead, just temporarily incapacitated."

"Go finish them off, but don't get too close. Aim for their eyes."

After waiting a few seconds, Zhou Yuan raised his hand and signaled. Morgan had told him that the ultimate research direction for the B-type protoplasmic weapons was to kill all bugs within the fog-covered area instantly. But for now, the B1 and B2 could only put the bugs to sleep for about half an hour.

So, they needed to finish them off to prevent the bugs from waking up and causing trouble near the transport aircraft.

"We still have ten protoplasm grenades and ten protoplasm grenades left."

"The grenades can be used directly, but the grenades... we could save those for an emergency..."

While finishing off the bugs, Zhou Yuan also took stock of the remaining protoplasmic weapons. Protoplasm grenades were similar to regular grenades, producing a blast wave that made them unsuitable for use in confined spaces, so they couldn't always be relied on.

Protoplasm grenades were different; they were smoke-type, causing no collateral damage even if used close by, making them ideal for emergency situations.

Besides protoplasmic weapons, they were also well-stocked with other ammunition. The shoulder-mounted Gatling gun still had over 2,500 rounds; he hadn't used it much, relying mostly on the protoplasm grenades.

There were six shoulder-mounted tactical nuclear missiles, though it was uncertain if they'd be needed, as encountering a bug tide wasn't guaranteed.

Additionally, there were ten shockwave grenades and thirty mini self-destruct drones.

The focus on impactful shockwave weaponry could prove invaluable in future encounters with swarms. Among the arsenal was the Gauss rifle, with fifteen magazines secured around his waist, holding a total of 4500 C4 electromagnetic bullets, none of which had been used yet.

Additionally, Morgan had outfitted the mech with four mini energy cannons. Though their firepower was too low for effective use against insects, they were ideal for emergency situations, such as demolishing cave entrances or sealed doors. This realization made Zhou Yuan marvel at the transformation. His current loadout boasted more firepower than a ten-person special operations squad. And this was merely his basic equipment; Morgan had several prototype weapons in development that would soon enhance his arsenal further.

Zhou Yuan even considered upgrades for himself, contemplating replacing his shoulder-mounted Gatling with an "Infinite Pineapple" machine gun. "Absolutely stunning!" he thought, his motivation soaring, quickening his pace in dispatching enemy soldiers. All he desired now was to return to Pluto and transform himself into a mobile artillery platform.

Two hours later, the squad made their way back to the transport ship. The return journey was smooth, encountering only a few fireflies after the initial wave of warrior bugs they had faced. Upon their arrival, Kenny, with a tone of concern, quietly asked, "Sir, did everything go well?"

Noticing the six survivors and the bug blood stains on everyone's gear, he knew their journey hadn't been easy. "It went relatively smoothly; there don't seem to be many bugs in this area," replied Commander Joel, trying to ease the tension as he patted Kenny on the shoulder before pointing to the transport ship parts and military supplies laid out on the ground. "Everything we could salvage from the 'Coal Titan' is here."

"This is exactly what we need!" exclaimed Claire, visibly excited. Among the items brought back were a set of fuel cells and pulse cables — crucial components for their mission. "Good, let's get to work," Joel said, shrugging slightly before turning his head to signal, "Old rules apply, six people come with me for surveillance, the rest assist Claire with the repairs."

"Right, sir!" The group responded in unison, dividing into two teams to start their tasks. Everyone was motivated, especially after hearing Claire's words, knowing they might be able to evacuate soon.

... ...

Ten minutes flew by quickly. When Joel returned to the cabin, his expression was grim. Claire had bad news: the energy system still couldn't be restarted, even with the new fuel cells. They managed to fix the communication system, but the intense magnetic interference on the asteroid made it impossible for radio waves to transmit.

"Is there no other way?" Joel asked after sitting down for a moment. Despite the bleak situation, he wasn't ready to give up and wait idly for rescue.

Suddenly, he looked up at Claire, "Wait! You mentioned the energy system couldn't be restarted?" "That means the activation is failing, not the system itself, right?" Claire nodded, "Correct, the hardware of the energy system is intact, but the software won't run, not even booting up."

Hearing this, a smile crept across Joel's face. He remembered something from "Transport Ship Repair: From Beginner to Expert."