Chapter 383 - 201: The Power of the Ion Laser Cannon, Retreat, and Street Fighting

Chapter 383: Chapter 201: The Power of the Ion Laser Cannon, Retreat, and Street Fighting

A Tier Two Battle Group facing an ordinary Swarm was like a tiger among sheep, slaughtering them with ease. Even though only sixty to seventy members had returned with Lin Feng, they instantly suppressed the Zerg Race offensive in the district behind the defensive line.

Seeing Lin Feng return safely, the weight on Li Ran’s heart was finally lifted.

Lin Feng’s return meant the decapitation strike was a success. That meant the holding action in this decisive battle, and all the sacrifices made, had been worthwhile!

The fallen team members had not died in vain.

Soon, after a briefing from Li Ran, Lin Feng had a general understanding of the situation at the camp.

There had been over five thousand Warriors in total. Excluding the 1,200 absorbed by the fleet and the 300 Tier One Late Stage elites Lin Feng had temporarily requisitioned, that left 3,500.

That sounded like a lot, but the majority of those 3,500 Warriors were only at the Tier One Early Stage. And while they had all basically achieved Awakening thanks to the fleet’s intense training regimen...

...because it was a rushed affair, their Awakening progress was low. Most were stuck in the Early Stage. Out of the 3,500, only six to seven hundred had reached the Tier One Middle Stage.

Their collective strength was likely inferior to that of the 300 Tier One Late Stage elite Warriors Lin Feng had taken with him.

But neither Lin Feng nor Chen Yanyan had expected the Mother Empress to possess such high strategic intelligence. Its tactical vision was on par with that of humanity’s own brilliant commanders.

It knew full well it couldn’t completely eliminate the human fleet in a short period—not unless it entered the fray itself.

Rather than pay a heavy price to fight the fleet to a standstill, it was better to bypass it and first deal with the human defenders’ rear—the base behind the second line of defense.

Fixed fortifications were a much easier target for the Zerg Race.

All it needed was to dispatch a hundred or so Tier Two Tiger Spine Zergs as the main assault force. They could lead tens of thousands of Low-tier Zerg Race to wipe out humanity’s logistical support.

With no path of retreat and its supply lines cut, the fleet would naturally be reduced to the desperate struggle of a cornered animal, forced to flee pathetically as the Swarm hunted it down.

The Hai City Mother Empress’s strategy of pulling the rug out from under her enemy was flawless.

This was especially true since Lin Feng had to carry out his decapitation strike, which required pulling forces from the defense. As a result, the entire second defensive line and the temporary camp were left looking strong on the outside but hollow within.

However, what the Mother Empress hadn’t anticipated was that the Commander in charge of the second defensive line and the entire camp was Li Ran, a veteran of numerous major battles.

As soon as the fleet, which had gone out seeking a decisive battle, was surrounded by the Swarm, Li Ran sent out scouts. Upon receiving their reports, he instantly sensed the impending crisis.

He immediately arranged for the defenders to begin a phased withdrawal from the defensive line into the city. There, using the buildings of the Xi City District for cover, they would prepare to engage the Zerg Race in urban warfare, mitigating their disadvantage in numbers.

Urban warfare was an effective way to neutralize the Swarm’s advantage on open plains, where their massive numbers allowed them to simply sweep over their enemies.

If one thought of Black Spine Zergs as light tanks and Tiger Spine Zergs as heavy tanks, it becomes easy to understand why Li Ran chose to make his stand in the city streets rather than on the more fortified second defensive line.

Having witnessed the collapse of the first defensive line at Wu City and the urban warfare led by Lin Feng’s team in Jia City, Li Ran knew exactly what to do when the enemy was at the gates.

Although urban warfare against the Zerg Race would still result in significant casualties, it was a far better alternative to the defense line breaking, only to be relentlessly pursued, surrounded, and completely wiped out...

Clearly, urban warfare was the more valuable option. It would do more to slow the Zerg Race’s advance and buy time for reinforcements to return.

It was thanks to Li Ran’s decisive action—quickly redeploying his forces and setting up sentry posts and firebases throughout the urban district—that the loss of the defensive line did not result in major casualties.

Of the 3,500 Warriors, only a fifth were lost.

Their effective fighting force was successfully preserved.

What relieved Lin Feng, however, was that the University City Camp hadn’t been breached, which meant Liu Yueqi and the others were still safe.

At the mention of that distinctive young woman, Li Ran gave a wry smile:

"She took a squad and charged right into the city to join the fighting!"

"And she only got fiercer the more she fought. In just two hours, she killed over fifty Black Spine Zergs with nothing but her Long Saber. She’s already broken through to the Tier One Late Stage."

"Ten minutes ago, after a short break, she charged back into the city with a chicken leg hanging out of her mouth, planning to hunt down a lone Tiger Spine Zerg and achieve her Tier Two Deep Awakening..."