Chapter 477 - 233: Qin Hu, Developments in the City, Attack

Chapter 477: Chapter 233: Qin Hu, Developments in the City, Attack

Fortunately, Chen Shu reacted quickly, preventing the troops’ morale from collapsing under the intense pressure of the front lines.

Compared to the cruel truth of being abandoned by the Federation’s high command,

this so-called Tier Three Awakener at least offered them a greater hope for survival.

As City Lord Lin, clad in his Golden Armor, left the landing zone under Commander Chen Shu’s guidance, the surrounding soldiers began to murmur amongst themselves, quickly spreading the good news that a breakout and retreat were imminent.

But as the front-line commander here, Chen Shu was not nearly as pleased.

His force of tens of thousands of Awakeners had clearly been made sacrificial pawns in the Federation’s breakout plan—bait to draw the Zerg Race’s fire and cover the main force’s retreat.

What he found strange, however, was that Lin Feng’s appearance indicated the breakout had already begun. So why were there no signs of the Zerg Race massing its army for an assault on the defense line?

By the time he escorted Lin Feng—who had retracted his Battle Armor—to the command post behind the high walls of the Fourth Ring Defense Line, he finally came face-to-face with an old acquaintance he hadn’t seen in a long time.

Inside the main front-line command post, the Qin Hu of today bore none of his former spirited vigor. In just over a month, the hair at his temples had gone gray, and the wrinkles on his face—which had once faded—had returned, deeper than ever.

In fact, even those over fifty could experience a second spring after becoming an Awakener by killing Black Spine Zergs, making them look ten or twenty years younger.

As one of the first Tier Two Awakeners, Qin Hu’s Physical Strength and appearance should have far surpassed that of a man in his thirties.

The culprit behind his current aged appearance was, naturally, the backlash and side effects of forcibly undergoing genetic modification surgery to become the first Genetic Warrior.

Aside from the effects on his Spirit, the most severe consequence was a drastic reduction in his lifespan.

The genes of the Spine Zergs, bolstered by their own bloodline and the Zerg Race’s advanced biotechnology, are at a much higher evolutionary level than humanity’s. The Assimilation of an Awakener’s internal tissues creates hybrid Zerg cells that place a severe overload on the body.

Each time Genetic Assimilation was activated, the massive proliferation of these Spine Zerg cells would drain the host’s Life Force.

Coupled with humanity’s evolutionary deficiencies in Physique, a Tier Two Awakener’s original thousand-year lifespan was slashed to less than ten years—less than one percent of what it should have been.

"Long time no see..."

Qin Hu was clearly prepared, speaking first upon seeing Lin Feng.

Someone had relayed the news to the command post ahead of time.

Lin Feng nodded, his brow furrowed slightly.

Although Qin Hu’s State was poor, his vitality and the aura he emanated...

...were like a sharp, menacing blade.

His power had already reached Tier Two Late Stage Perfection, and was even approaching the Tier Two Peak.

This formidable aura reminded Lin Feng of one of the three great inherited Mental Realms of the Spine Zerg Race: Unyielding.

Unfortunately, an Identification revealed that the man had not mastered Realm Power; he was just an ordinary Tier Two Genetic Warrior.

"Long time no see!"

Following Chen Shu’s lead, Lin Feng walked up to the conference table in the command post, facing Qin Hu, who stood behind a presentation display.

"We owe you for what happened in Jiangnan. I hear you’ve already established a base in Jin City?"

Qin Hu gestured for Chen Shu and the others to leave. He then sat down, pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, and lit one as he spoke.

Lin Feng nodded.

"Unfortunately, the one I killed wasn’t the Mother Empress from Hai City. But don’t worry. I wiped out most of the Zerg Race under her command. Her power is greatly diminished now, so she can only fall back and hole up in Hai City Center..."

"She’s no longer a threat to the Jiangnan heartland."

"As for Jin City Base, I just set it up on the side to train troops and look after the hundred thousand survivors."

"Jin City is surrounded by plains on three sides, which is even worse terrain than what’s around the Federal Capital. It can only serve as a temporary base, not a long-term defensive position..."

Lin Feng added meaningfully,

"The Zerg Race Mother Empresses are too densely concentrated. For any inland city within five hundred kilometers of the coastline, trying to hold it by force is just digging your own grave. You’ll be swarmed."

Qin Hu understood his meaning.

By now, both had grown from obscure nobodies into figures capable of influencing the major battles that would decide humanity’s fate.

Their perspectives were naturally on a completely different level than when they had just a narrow, limited view of the world.

"I understand. But the Federal Capital could have absolutely been held. It could have become a military outpost, a beachhead against the entire northern Zerg Race, tying down numerous Mother Empresses."

"That would have given the cities in our rear—in the Northwest and the Central Plains—a chance to breathe."

Qin Hu spoke slowly, a hint of helplessness in his voice.

"In truth, the high command’s strategy wasn’t flawed. The problem was that the three supply corridors meant to support the Capital—from due west, the Northwest, and the Southwest—were completely severed by the Zerg Race within ten days."

"The Northwest transport corridor, especially, was originally guarded by the Capital’s ace unit. But they were routed by the Zerg Race’s overwhelming assault. Compounding this, reinforcements from the Northwest’s sixth defensive ring were too slow to arrive. Within a month, every single one of the Capital’s land-based supply lines had been severed by the Mother Empresses..."

"You probably know what happened after that."

"Currently, we have enough food in the city to last everyone until next year. The problem is our weapons and ammunition; logistical reserves are all but depleted."

"On top of that, the South District is out of favor, so during several waves of Zerg Race attacks, my soldiers were forced to engage in close combat with cold-steel weapons, suffering heavy casualties."

"Fortunately, we have commando teams of Genetic Warriors who can withstand the ambushes of the Samurai Hunter Zergs."