Chapter 503: Chapter 375: Wharf Melee
At this moment, the dock area had become extremely chaotic, but most survivors were purposefully rushing toward specific ships, and only a minority of them were driven away as they approached a certain ship.
The two faced no accidents on their way aboard the ship, which was not only carrying them but was guarded by armed sailors on the deck earlier on.
This vessel was not waiting for Dong Tianyu and Yara specifically; it only began to slowly move away from the dock after several survivors had boarded, not immediately leaving the dock, but drifting in the middle of the river nearby.
As Yara and Dong Tianyu gazed at the battle occurring at the docks, to be honest, the combat effectiveness of the Soldier Bugs wasn’t very strong, as any well-trained ordinary person holding firearms could essentially take one down single-handedly.
Needless to say, Dong Tianyu’s strength was undeniable, and Yara, having been chosen by the family to act as an envoy, naturally possessed a non-negligible cultivation level.
With the cultivation levels of both, even if they were to be surrounded by Soldier Bugs, they could move about freely with ease.
However, a cent of gold won’t be found on a collapsing beam; despite their considerable combat abilities, neither of them planned to personally engage in the fight.
As more and more Soldier Bugs flooded the docks, a chaotic battle erupted.
If Dong Tianyu and Yara, when watching from the surveillance room, saw a one-sided slaughter of the soldiers fighting the Soldier Bugs on screens, the dock’s melee was indeed chaotic.
Unlike the cold weapons mostly used by the soldiers in the outskirts of Kyoto, the dock was filled with the continuous sound of gunfire.
Although the exoskeleton of the Soldier Bugs was very hard, and handgun shots might not penetrate, most sailors on the ships were armed with either rifles or fully automatic weapons.
Even if hits to non-vital points like the eyes or joints failed to slow them, and even if they were hit by three or four bullets, this wouldn’t affect the Soldier Bugs’ normal movement.
Perhaps due to ample ammunition reserves on the ship, sailors on the deck did not skimp on the bullets in their magazines when shooting.
Watching the intense battle playing out on the docks, Dong Tianyu asked Yara, "How long do you think these Soldier Bugs can hold on?"
Upon hearing Dong Tianyu’s question, Yara pondered for a moment before saying, "I estimate they could last till dawn at most. If the authorities here make up their minds, I guess it would take at most three to four hours."
Dong Tianyu turned to look at the sailors on the deck, standing ready, and asked Yara out of curiosity, "In that case, aren’t you going to participate?"
Upon hearing Dong Tianyu’s question, Yara gestured vaguely toward the ships that, like theirs, were idling in the river, before speaking, "The situation on other ships is basically the same as ours. The locals are not in a hurry to lend support, so why should we outsiders be so eager to get involved?"
After hearing Yara’s explanation, Dong Tianyu did not say much further, quietly accompanying Yara on the deck to enjoy watching the battle at the docks. Like Yara said, despite the apparent chaos, so far not a single Soldier Bug had managed to reach the ships still anchored at the shore.
The sound of gunfire from the docks came mostly from sailors on ships yet to leave the dock.
As more and more docks’ survivors escaped to the ships, those originally moored began to slowly depart from the coastline, then, like the vessel Dong Tianyu was on, stopped in the middle of the river.
The Soldier Bugs, seemingly unable to swim, faced the ships that had already left the coastline, could only roar on the shore without daring to jump into the water.
This was, of course, to be expected, considering the Soldier Bugs’ appearance made it clear they were not aquatic creatures.
As the docks were cleared of survivors, the Soldier Bugs howled for a while before they began to destroy the dock.
This destruction did not last long before Dong Tianyu noticed that the once calm docks had become bustling again.
The officials had made a decision and initiated the clean-up of Soldier Bugs that had infiltrated the city.
The weaponry of the soldiers responsible for the extermination at the docks was somewhat different from those in the suburbs of Kyoto.
The soldiers clearing away the Soldier Bugs at the docks wielded hook scythes, which appeared to be scythes with extended handles.
The soldiers exhibited excellent teamwork in battle, with one person drawing fire while the remaining two used the hook scythes to cut directly at the vulnerable joint connections of the Soldier Bugs.
The soldiers using the hook scythes coordinated perfectly, seizing the right moment to strike directly at the weak joints of the Soldier Bugs.
Such weapons put a significant demand on the survivors’ dynamic vision, but most of those soldiers possessed some level of martial cultivation, though not necessarily reaching the Energy Refining Realm.
But with dedicated effort, advancing to the Inner Breath Realm was possible. After all, the Martial Path’s cultivation did not require high aptitude; even talentless individuals could improve their martial cultivation to the Inner Breath Realm as long as they adhered to their daily goals.
As the soldiers joined in, the Soldier Bugs seen on the docks were systematically exterminated.
