Chapter 559: Chapter 403: The Contest
As the end of the operation drew near, the number of returning soldiers dwindled. When the red beam emitted by the instrument faded, Gavin packed up the machine and said to Dong Tianyu, "Let’s go."
"Shouldn’t we wait a bit longer?"
"Those who could have returned have already done so. By now, those who haven’t made it back, likely never will."
Hearing Gavin’s rational words, Dong Tianyu didn’t say any more and followed Gavin to where they had parked upon arrival. They got into the car and headed straight for the City Center.
During the journey home, Dong Tianyu, curious, casually asked Gavin, "Is there a division of Cultivation Levels above the Path Entry Realm?"
Upon hearing Dong Tianyu’s question, Gavin pondered for a moment before answering, "I’m not really sure, since I took a shortcut to break through to the Path Entry Realm. However, I did ask others the same question before, but they never gave me a definite answer, only telling me there’s more road ahead."
Hearing Gavin’s ambiguous response, Dong Tianyu did not press further. Gavin needed to hand over his duties, so he first dropped Dong Tianyu off at his courtyard. After exchanging contact information, Gavin returned to his unit.
Back at his courtyard, Dong Tianyu reflected on the expedition, now certain that the waters of Kyoto were much deeper than those of Saxon County.
Based on Gavin’s description, Kyoto could produce Path Entry Realm Martial Artists in batches, albeit by means of shortcuts, and while the strength they obtain may be slightly weaker compared to those who broke through on their own, the difference was negligible.
If this were true, even if the efficacy of advanced weapons weakened in later stages, Kyoto would remain as stable as Mount Tai. This insect disaster should pass without incident for Kyoto.
Just as Dong Tianyu expected, the impacts of the Bug Race disaster in Kyoto were deliberately contained by the Imperial Court to areas outside the suburbs.
Perhaps the Imperial Court had their own plans. The military, clearly capable of annihilating the enemy, kept delaying and used the Soldier Bugs as training fodder.
However, Kyoto’s wishful tactics did not last for long, as a spatial rift appeared once again. Unlike the ’minor scuffles’ of the past, this time the rift didn’t emerge across the whole of China, but opened directly near Kyoto.
Moreover, the size of the spatial rift was no longer limited as before, where even a Plasma Bug had difficulty passing through; this time, the rift was as wide as a 16-lane highway in both directions and roughly as tall as an ordinary building with over fifty stories.
The Bug Race forces that came through the portal this time were, as before, hardly different in scale. Countless Soldier Bugs, acting as the vanguard, poured into Blue Star like a tide as soon as the passage opened.
Flame Bugs followed suit, mingling within the ranks and passing through the spatial passage, while the skies remained dominated by Flying Bugs. The generous gifts prepared by hospitable Imperial Court could no longer be delivered directly into the hands of the Bug Race.
Due to the significant activity of the Bug Race, the spatial passage was discovered by the Imperial Court as soon as it formed, and within less than an hour, the Command Post was reestablished.
When the Imperial Court noticed the exceptionally large scale of the Bug Race emergence, they immediately sounded six alarms, signifying not only that Kyoto was under attack but also the need for all survivors in the city to assist with defense.
As more and more Soldier Bugs emerged from the spatial passage, the Command Post decisively employed the missiles that Kyoto had nearly exhausted.
With each missile launched toward the location of the spatial passage, the Flying Bugs in the sky quickly noticed and fearlessly charged towards the missiles.
Though only one or two lucky individuals from a swarm of Flying Bugs managed to successfully land on the high-speed missiles, this small loss was not considered a disadvantage for the Bug Race.
If any Flying Bug could successfully land on a missile, then those one or two bugs could use their teeth to damage the missile, detonating it in the sky or causing it to malfunction and fail to explode, either outcome being profitable for the Bug Race.
Among the dense cluster of missiles, at most only three to five managed to successfully hit the ground. Disregarding the possibility of duds, even the successful explosions had little impact on the total number of Soldier Bugs, given the enormity of their invasion force.
While Command Headquarters was still probing with conventional weapons, Dong Tianyu received a call from Yara at home, "Are you at home?"
"Yes, what’s up?"
"Wait for me at your place. I’m coming over right now." After saying that, Yara hastily made her way to Dong Tianyu’s house. Seeing her out of breath, Dong Tianyu poured a cup of tea and handed it to Yara, remarking, "It’s just a short walk. How did you get so tired?"
Yara immediately retorted with irritation, "What do you mean it’s just a few steps? The roads are completely jammed with cars, I ran here without my car."
Hearing this, Dong Tianyu immediately asked with concern, "What’s so urgent that you had to come in person? You could have just called; it would have sufficed to explain over the phone."
"It’s not that simple to explain over the phone, which is why I had to come over. We can talk better face to face."
