Chapter 9, Evolution

This is unreasonable, Tang Long said honestly: "I do not know what is going on"

All the armored vehicles came to a halt, forming a circular defense. This time, all the soldiers were praying, as humanity began to feel helpless and weak for the first time in the face of this strange yet resilient creature. This feeling lingered throughout humanity's subsequent encounters with this peculiar and powerful race, haunting them like a nightmare.

However, the current situation has become extremely serious. The soldier bees not only have increased in speed, but the damage from bullets to them has also diminished. Occasionally, one or two soldier bees breach the positions of the Marines, brandishing their sharp claws and attacking anyone in sight. The reinforced fiber protective suits of the Marines are being torn apart like thin paper, and casualties among the Marine soldiers have already begun to occur

A loud tremor shook the ground as the armored vehicle carrying Mike and Tang Long was overtaken. The soldier bees outside were violently battering against it. Finally, with a violent jolt, the armored vehicle was overturned by the powerful bodies of the soldier bees. Mike sustained an injury to his forehead, blood streaming down his face, while Tang Long felt as if his entire body had shattered. A series of intense knocking sounds immediately erupted from outside the armored vehicle, as the soldier bees attempted to breach its defenses. The desperate pounding sent shivers down one's spine. At some point, Mike found himself gripping a grenade in his hand. Tang Long looked at him, nodded, and said, "Better than being bitten to death." Mike gazed at Tang Long, his eyes filled with anticipation, and then he pulled the pin from the grenade.

"Quick, use the incendiary bomb!" Tang Long shouted loudly, throwing another incendiary bomb.

All the Marines stood at attention to bid farewell to their comrades, as the sky began to brighten. A blood-like red appeared in the sky, dazzling and fierce. Humanity is so weak, so easily shattered; an unknown creature can effortlessly tear apart, rip to shreds, and kill humans with its claws

Mike put down the telescope and said, "It's still the soldier bees, but," he paused for a moment and added, "their running speed has increased."

Mike wanted to stop him, but it was already too late. A dark soldier bee leaped up and charged directly at Chacha, who unleashed a torrent of flames from his flamethrower. Remarkably, the creature passed through the wall of fire unscathed and lunged at Chacha. Mike saw blood splatter; Chacha was no longer recognizable as a human. A tide of soldier bees surged forward, the sounds of gunfire and the vibrations of explosions echoed once more, but this time, there were added cries of human anguish, the sound of bones shattering, and blood splattering. The formidable evolutionary capabilities of these creatures allowed them to easily overpower humanity. If it weren't for the armor of the armored vehicles, Mike and his Marine Corps would have been completely annihilated in that instant. The ring-shaped defense formed by the armored vehicles was thoroughly breached. Mike shouted orders, directing the remaining undamaged armored vehicles to break through. Occasionally, an armored vehicle was overturned, and then the soldier bees swarmed in, using their sharp claws to tear apart the armor and mercilessly slaughter the people inside. Mike's face had turned ashen, veins bulging on his hands, filled with both pain and guilt. "It's all my fault, all my fault! I led these people to their deaths! Damn it, damn it!" he said, striking the vehicle's compartment with his hand in frustration.

I also do not wish for it to be this way, Tang Long said

You are afraid

Mike stared blankly at Tang Long, unable to speak. Tang Long continued, "The second wave of attacks from the soldier bees has clearly become stronger; their speed has increased, and their exoskeletons have thickened. This does not make sense logically; there is only one possibility: after the first attack on us, they evolved their genes to adapt to the needs of the assault, developing stronger muscles and thicker chitinous shells."

Just now, I still didn't quite understand. Mike and Tang Long walked side by side and asked, "These are soldier bees, so what are those with large teeth?"

Tang Long lowered his head in contemplation, remaining silent

I do not quite understand," Mike shook his head and said

"It's nothing," Tang Long hesitated for a moment and said, "I just cannot agree with your viewpoint. My father often taught me that it is very narrow-minded to view life in the universe solely through the lens of Earthly life. I acknowledge that this organism possesses certain characteristics of insects; however, whether there are new forms that we do not understand, whether it possesses intelligence, and whether it could pose a threat to humanity are all unknown factors"

The Marines once again withstood the attack. However, this time, no one spoke; even Mike felt a bit disheartened, as an inexplicable fear quietly spread among the Marines. Mike looked at his fallen comrades on the ground, their bodies dismembered, flesh and blood in disarray, their faces still bearing the expression of pain from their last moments.

The figure emerged from the armored vehicle, holding a flamethrower, shouting loudly at the approaching soldier bees, exhibiting a certain madness

Mike smiled and was about to say something when suddenly, the team member responsible for vigilance issued a warning: "Attention, something happened behind us. It is approaching!"

Soon, they finally boarded the armored motorcycle. Mike felt somewhat reassured, as the motorcycle was fast, and once they returned to the base, they could have the support of a road-based tank. Moreover, in about an hour, Fashir's fleet would appear in their line of sight. Perhaps, to deal with those ferocious bugs, cannons and bombs were still necessary, after all, humans and books had invented many terrifying things in war.

"Open fire!" Mike commanded. Immediately, a cacophony of gunfire erupted, deafening in its intensity. Tang Long felt dizzy, surrounded by the dazzling lights of bullets whizzing by. He raised his heavy semi-automatic rifle and swept it across the area below. Mike fired fiercely at the nearest soldier bee, which, upon seeing Mike, desperately charged towards him. The bullets struck its shell, but contrary to Mike's expectations, it did not explode; instead, it left a charred mark on its exoskeleton. "Damn it!" Mike quickly pulled out a grenade, but the creature was incredibly fast, already lunging at Mike, its forelegs reaching for his face. Mike closed his eyes, and at that critical moment, a gun was thrust into the creature's mouth, and then all the bullets poured into its belly. It let out a wail and collapsed to the ground. When Mike opened his eyes, he saw Chacha's stubbled face. Chacha retracted his gun and smiled broadly. Mike gestured to indicate that everything was fine and continued to engage in the battle.

Is that so! said Tang Long

Other soldiers observed and began to imitate, as incendiary bombs exploded among the soldier bees, quickly engulfing the mountainside in raging flames. The soldier bees, which had just been ferocious, started to flee, and the sea of fire was filled with twitching severed limbs and dismembered bodies, evoking a chilling horror

Head, we might as well take advantage of our victory and pursue the attack; tactically speaking, now is the best time for pursuit

"This is terrifying," Mike said, furrowing his brow. "Who is controlling this evolution?"

Just as in response to Tang Long's words, suddenly, a call came through the communication channel: "Head, head, they are coming again!"

"We are retreating, quickly, quickly, quickly!" Mike suddenly shouted. The soldiers left the battlefield, their comrades' bodies left behind, staring blankly at the sky, their faces expressionless

"I am not afraid; these creatures cannot harm us," Mike said. "Human weapons are sufficient to deal with them. I suspect we might be wasting our efforts; they may just be a low-level species of insect."

Is this reasonable? Mike asked softly, It seems that during this period, they have been training for long-distance running, so how could their speed suddenly increase?

Mike emerged from the top hatch of the armored vehicle, looking back, but saw nothing.

However, the ground team members are the most skilled in pursuit battles, " added Qiaoqie.

This is impossible! Mike exclaimed, "The evolution of any species is the result of thousands of years of natural elimination and selection"

The soldier shouted loudly while firing fiercely, "We can't hold on any longer, let's retreat!"

"I don't know," Tang Long shook his head and said, "I am just worried about what they will evolve into after the second failure"

I, "Tang Long hesitated, and finally said: "I believe this may not be effective."

Tang Long nodded and said, "If my guess is correct, then it is possible."

"Hey, do I look like a big rib dipped in tomato sauce? If you all had come a little later, we would have really turned into a delicious dish tonight," said Qiaoqia, with some sticky sauce still on his protective suit. The Marines laughed rudely. Tang Long began to like these rough-looking yet brave and daring Marines.

"Will it evolve into a type that is not afraid of fire?" Mike asked

Tang Long also emerged, fighting alongside Mike. The gun grew hotter and heavier. Tang Long did not know whose mistake this was; perhaps it was his own underestimation of danger, perhaps Fashier should never have dispatched the landing team, or perhaps this was a fate they were destined to face upon arriving on this planet. There were many uncertainties that Tang Long could not articulate. Just like the history he studied, there is no absolute right or wrong; seemingly random events are products of certain inevitabilities, yet humanity is unable to comprehend the mysteries within. Tang Long did not know how, but at that moment, he suddenly thought of Ai Lian. He could no longer see Ai Lian. Ai Lian, where are you now? Are you also thinking of me, as I think of you?

These hybrids! Suddenly, Mike pushed open the cover, stuck his head out, and shouted loudly, while the semi-automatic rifle in his hand spat out fierce tongues of fire. The flickering flames illuminated Mike's handsome face, casting it in a pallid hue

Mike looked around and pointed at a hill, saying, "Go up, quickly!" The Marines swiftly scrambled up the hill, facing the open ground ahead, and lay prone to take aim. Through the binoculars, Mike saw another swarm of soldier ants approaching them rapidly yet resolutely, surging like a dark tide, their numbers similar to the last time. He cursed under his breath, saying, "There are really a lot of them, batch after batch."

"You have somewhat frightened me, Tang Long," Mike said with concern, "this is just too incredible, too bizarre"

What is this thing? he murmured. What have we encountered?

"What are you thinking about?" Mike asked

"Mike," Tang Long suddenly said, his expression somewhat strange, as if he had some doubts.

Tang Long approached Mike and said, "I believe we should return to the base and wait for the support of Fashir's fleet"

"Do not retreat!" Mike shouted, "We must hold our ground! There is no way we can retreat. Anyone who thinks they can outrun this monster, go ahead and try!" A soldier's ammunition ran out, desperately pulling the trigger, the semi-automatic rifle emitted a dry clicking sound. A soldier bee lunged at him, its forelimbs resting on his shoulder, swinging its terrifying claws violently. The soldier let out a scream as blood gushed from his neck, splattering all over Tang Long. Other soldiers shouted, aiming their guns at the soldier bee, firing fiercely. The bullets hit the protective suit of the fallen soldier, causing the oxygen tank to explode, flames erupting everywhere, and the shockwave knocked Tang Long to the ground. A soldier bee lunged at him, its forelimbs resting on his shoulder, swinging its terrifying claws violently. The soldier let out a scream as blood gushed from his neck, splattering all over Tang Long. Other soldiers shouted, aiming their guns at the soldier bee, firing fiercely. The bullets hit the protective suit of the fallen soldier, causing the oxygen tank to explode, flames erupting everywhere, and the shockwave knocked Tang Long to the ground. Tang Long's back felt as if it was splitting open with pain. At that moment, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he hurriedly stood up, throwing a Molotov cocktail down the slope. As soon as the Molotov cocktail hit the ground, it ignited fiercely. Sure enough, the soldier bees began to retreat, those unable to escape struggled in the flames, emitting terrifying cries, dying in excruciating pain. Tang Long's back felt as if it was splitting open with pain. At that moment, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he hurriedly stood up, throwing a Molotov cocktail down the slope. As soon as the Molotov cocktail hit the ground, it ignited fiercely. Sure enough, the soldier bees began to retreat, those unable to escape struggled in the flames, emitting terrifying cries, dying in excruciating pain.

Attention all squads, equip the flamethrowers on the vehicles. If those things catch up to us again, we will roast those bastards!

I understand, "Tang Long said: "Therefore, it is of no use this time"

This is the way of biological evolution on Earth. Tang Long said, "Let us assume that this organism possesses a terrifying ability, which is the capacity to evolve in any direction at will, allowing it to adapt to the environment in any form and manner to gain an advantage within the biological population. This rapid evolution may be its means of survival. Imagine, after the first attack on us, it finds no way to break through our defenses, so it makes some genetic modifications, begins to evolve, and creates new species that, on the surface, appear no different from the previous ones, yet are faster, have thicker exoskeletons, and are specially evolved combat groups targeting our defenses."

Tang Long glanced at Mike and said, "I just thought of something that might be useful, as most insects are afraid of fire." After speaking, he fell into deep thought again

Yes, yes," Mike nodded and said

"Heads up, they are not coming from behind, but from in front of us!" Mike turned his head and saw a swarm of soldier bees charging towards the Marines as usual, rushing forward in a competitive frenzy, kicking up clouds of dust, as if there were thousands of troops.

Oh! Damn! A commotion erupted among the crowd, and all the Marines tensed up, lying flat on the ground, their eyes wide open, not blinking, staring ahead. This is a common knowledge issue known to every Marine, derived from humanity's long experience in warfare. In both assault and counter-assault battles, the speed of the assault and the firepower suppression of the counter-assault are critical factors. If the speed of the attacking side increases while the suppressive fire remains unchanged, the distance of the assault will shorten, potentially breaking through the defensive line of the counter-assaulting side. The speed of the assault and the firepower suppression of the counter-assault are indeed crucial factors. If the speed of the attacking side increases while the suppressive fire remains unchanged, the distance of the assault will shorten, potentially breaking through the defensive line of the counter-assaulting side

"It is truly regrettable," Tang Long said earnestly, "We should capture one alive and bring it back"

Tang Long, Mike interrupted his contemplation and asked, "How do you know these soldier bees are afraid of incendiary bombs?"

This intelligence is very valuable and should be treated like the Fashal Report

All the Marines began to return to find the armored vehicles.

The soldier beside them, somewhat perplexed, asked: "Chief, what are you talking about?"

"It is a worker bee," Tang Long said. "I am increasingly convinced that we are dealing with a life form akin to insects. Insects possess the ability for individual differentiation, resulting in significant variations among individuals within a population. There are types that engage in combat, types that perform work, and those specifically for laying eggs, among others. The ones attacking us are precisely the types specialized for combat."

"We have plenty of bullets," a soldier said, patting his gun, which was met with another round of laughter. After the last encounter, everyone was not too afraid of these soldier bees; they thought it was a simple method—just spray, spray, and spray again. Many soldiers thought this way. However, Tang Long did not share this sentiment. He observed for a while through his binoculars and said to Mike, "Do you sense anything different?"

Oh," Mike pondered, holding the telescope for a long time, and slowly said: "Damn it, I see it!"

Mike made a grimace and said, "Then you go ahead and try it; I think no one else has the courage to do so."

"How?" Mike asked as he ended the call.

"What are you saying?" Mike asked in surprise, "Didn’t you say that these insects are afraid of fire? Just now, you also saw that we burned them and they were scurrying everywhere."

"Tactics?" another ground station member replied, "Do we really need tactics to fight bugs? It would be great if we had some insecticide."

The soldier bees have begun to swarm up the hillside, producing a tremendous noise as they scramble to ascend. The blood-red eyes can already be seen flickering in the darkness, terrifying like will-o'-the-wisps.

"Alright, boys, we are retreating," Mike waved his hand

I can only speculate, " Tang Long's tone became very serious, as if he were discussing a topic he was reluctant to address, " I cannot be certain, but there is a possibility that they are evolving

Throughout the journey, Tang Long remained silent, seemingly contemplating a particularly troublesome issue

"At the same time, they are also very good at running away, aren't they, precisely?" Another burst of laughter ensued

Mike glanced at him, the gun resting on his shoulder, smiled faintly, his expression somewhat weary, and said: "On this point, we share the same view; you don't think the Marines are just muscle-bound fools, do you?" Mike turned back to look at his team and added: "That's how they are; they talk tough, but many of them might be scared enough to wet their pants."