Members of Li Qiang’s shooting squad climbed onto the shoulders and backs of these zombies, gaining the best field of view and firing angles.
“Target level six and seven monsters. Ignore the others; that’s not our job. Also, try to use single shots to conserve ammunition. Once the special bullets are used up, immediately withdraw from the front lines and return to the rear. Find your own positions and assist the combat teams. Do you all understand?”
Li Qiang shouted, relaying the orders to the shooters. With their abilities, combined with the excellent weapons and bullets provided by Ye Zhongming, using them on level five and below monsters would be a waste. They were most effective against level six and seven monsters, while level eight monsters were beyond their capabilities—those were Ye Zhongming’s responsibility.
After a brief period of adjustment to the zombies nearby, the shooters responded enthusiastically. Today was their moment to shine. Just their earlier achievements were enough to earn them a high contribution score after the battle.
Next would be their final performance in this battle. After that, they would become support troops, protecting the flanks of the combat teams and safeguarding the war machines.
The largest wave of monsters, numbering three million, was approaching.
Perhaps the annihilation of their earlier comrades had made them more cautious. These monsters were now clearly more organized. Although this organization was crude and chaotic by human standards, it was no longer the blind charge of before. For example, monsters with high speed but poor defense no longer rushed to the front, only to be instantly killed.
“There’s a commander among them, or perhaps the Nine-Winged Crow has issued orders,” Xia Lei suggested these two possibilities.
“I lean toward the former, though the latter is also possible,” Ye Zhongming said, believing that one could never be too cautious when dealing with level-nine lifeforms.
A level-seven monster fell instantly.
However, it soon stood back up. This shot, which only used a green-grade bullet without any additional abilities, had only severely injured the creature, failing to kill it.
“Their bodies are indeed tough,” Ye Zhongming muttered, firing a second shot. At the same time, other shooters with sniper rifles or within range of the monsters also began their attacks. Gunfire filled the air, and the charging monsters immediately began to fall.
“Level six and seven! Level six and seven! The others are not your targets!”
The first wave of monsters consisted mainly of thick-skinned, low-level creatures, with only a few level six and seven among them. However, in this round of shooting, many level four and five monsters had been killed. Some of the shooters had gotten too excited and forgotten their orders. Li Qiang had to shout repeatedly to remind them.
This quickly calmed many of the shooters, who began searching for level six and seven monsters within range.
The effect was immediate. This targeted sniping of high-level monsters threw the charging ranks into chaos, though their momentum kept them moving forward.
But the monsters quickly adapted.
“Flying monsters!”
The flying species accompanying this group of monsters appeared.
The shooters immediately raised their guns toward the sky while other anti-air measures also came back into play. Even the Violent Thunder Towers began attacking in batches to alleviate the pressure from the air.
“Yangos!” Ye Zhongming shouted, and the evil dragon immediately charged over, positioning itself in front of the pit.
“Little Tiger!” Ye Zhongming issued another command through the Battle Contribution Badge.
Little Tiger snapped his fingers at his subordinates, who formed a protective circle around him. His eyes began to change, his body temperature rose, and his face contorted in pain.
Then, with a shout, he pointed his right hand, and about a thousand fist-sized energy aerial mines spread across the airspace from Ye Zhongming and Li Qiang’s sniper positions to the Cloud Peak battle formation.
Upon closer inspection, the distribution was uneven. The area above Ye Zhongming and his team was densely packed with about a hundred mines, while the space between them and the Cloud Peak formation had around two hundred, sparsely but evenly distributed. The final seven hundred or so were concentrated above the Cloud Peak battle formation.
What Little Tiger had activated was the fourth borrowed soldier method of his Linglan Borrowed Soldiers ability— Limitless Aerial Mines!
These mines, once triggered, would release ice-based attacks, dealing massive damage and immobilizing targets within their range.
Since Little Tiger had gained this ability, Ye Zhongming had procured several skill upgrade scrolls for him. Now, his Linglan Borrowed Soldiers had reached the advanced grade, and all his borrowed soldier methods had been significantly enhanced. For example, the number of Limitless Aerial Mines had increased from two hundred to one thousand, and their power had also grown.
Moreover, these mines weren’t stationary. They moved rapidly, dodging attacks, and only detonated when targets entered their defensive range.
The Cloud Peak anti-air units and anti-air weapons, which had been struggling under the pressure of the flying monsters, immediately regained the upper hand.
Monsters that touched the mines were instantly killed if they were low-level, while the ice mist released by the mines froze the creatures within their range, covering their bodies in thick ice. They plummeted to the ground, and even if Cloud Peak didn’t kill them, they would shatter upon impact.
With the protection of the aerial mines, Ye Zhongming and Li Qiang’s team could focus on attacking the ground monsters without worry.
Of course, the air battle didn’t stop there. A mere thousand aerial mines couldn’t hold back so many flying monsters. But with the addition of the evil dragon, Cloud Peak’s air force, anti-air weapons, and the Ice Bird, Red Hair, the Undead Dragonfish, and Xia Bai, who had also taken to the skies, the flying monsters were firmly pinned down near the pit. Even if a few managed to break through the defense line, they couldn’t get past the aerial mines.
On the ground, the first wave of thick-skinned monsters mostly lacked strong jumping abilities. When they reached the edge of the pit, they fell in. These were cannon fodder, and this was their fate.
However, what should have been a quick process of filling the hundred-meter-deep pit to create a charge path was thwarted. As these cannon fodder monsters fell in, they landed on the mutated plants, which immediately entangled them. The sharp thorns on the stems and leaves pierced the monsters’ bodies, quickly draining them into dried corpses. The plants then tossed the corpses into the strong acid below, where they were devoured and turned into another form of nourishment for the plants.
The plants, having absorbed the monsters’ energy, grew at a visible rate. As more monsters fell in, the plants grew even faster. Soon, they broke through the pit, emerging from the ground like dense hair, and began actively attacking the monsters. Even the zombie army on the other side wasn’t spared. Before the Brain Child could issue a retreat order, over a thousand zombies were swept into the plants and consumed.
“Royal Water Ghost Vine!”
Looking at these mutated plants, Ye Zhongming smiled.