The Final Odyssey, the fantastical journey of a cat boy

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Under normal circumstances, whether it's a coastal amphibious landing or an airborne operation, leaving a certain number of troops around the landing or airdrop area to perform defensive tasks and construct temporary fortifications is a basic, common-sense operation. After all, if the operation is successful or fails, the combat troops will still need these transport vehicles stationed at the landing or airdrop area as a means of evacuation.

This time, however, Fish's commando team left not a single person behind at the drop zone after landing—after all, the least important thing in this operation was "retreat." If the operation succeeded, the overwhelming firepower of the Pharsalus-class planetary fortress would allow them to overwhelm the enemy from space; but if it failed, even if they could safely evacuate the desolate island surrounded by raging storms, they would ultimately have nowhere to hide on Earth.

Therefore, in such situations, apart from the crew of the "Hand of Victory" and "Eternal Courage" who were responsible for luring the enemy, even the mechanics on the airships had to serve as combat infantry after landing and advance with the assault team—and of course, they were indeed prepared accordingly. Each person not only received basic combat training before departure, but was also equipped with at least basic infantry weapons and gear.

"We're all pawns now, we can only fight our way forward." Huang Yan said as the commando team stepped into the jungle scorched by fuel-air explosives.

"Huh? What's that?"

"These are the rules of a game from an old civilization, called 'Chess'," Huang Yan said. "Of course, this is a game played by people in a more civilized era. Even at the end of the old civilization when morality was in decline, very few people played chess anymore."

"I have heard some stories about chess from historians... although people of this era have never been able to reconstruct the rules of chess," Ange interjected, "but, regardless of the game, the rule that pawns cannot move backward should be a universal one, right?"

"Yes. By the way, my database contains the rules of all kinds of chess and their variations, starting with Chaturanka Chess. If we can resolve this crisis, I can help you revive any chess-related game," Huang Yan said. "Trust me, this would be fun."

"Great, at least I have another reason to live." Fish nodded.

"Enemy attack!" Just seconds after Fish uttered those words, a burst of short gunshots rang out from ahead. It sounded as if someone had fired a rifle at something very close by. Although it was impossible to see what it was, it was clear that it hadn't been immediately destroyed by rifle fire, because soon, more gunshots followed.

"What the hell is this?!"

Upon arriving at the scene of the battle as quickly as possible, Fish was stunned: several whip-like objects emerging from the ground, like a group of enraged cobras, confronted the commando soldiers. Some of these whip-like objects had bright red bloodstains on their surfaces, which, judging from the wounded soldiers lying nearby, were clearly their own.

Of course, these strange objects also suffered fierce resistance, riddled with bullet holes from rifle fire. However, these injuries apparently did not seriously affect their movements. Just as Fish approached, the two whip-like monsters launched a coordinated attack: one quickly feinted with a shot, while the other thrust like a spear into the leg of a commando.

The assault soldier from the 2nd Imperial Guard Brigade clearly hadn't seen through the trick. He instinctively leaped to the side, dodging the first attack, only to land right in the path of the second. By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late…

...if Fish hadn't helped.

"Damn, are you alright?" Fish asked the assault team after severing the strange thing with a single strike of Phoenix Flame's monomolecular blade.

"I...I'm alright, Your Highness." The commando breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you for your help."

“There’s no such thing as Grand Duke Fayun here now,” Fish said. “We’re all comrades who help each other out—if these things took over the world, the title of Grand Duke would be meaningless. But speaking of which, what the hell is this?”

"When you struck the target, I examined the tissue sample stuck to the blade," Huang Yan said. "It had cellulose-containing cell walls and vacuoles. Based on common biological knowledge that everyone except mentally challenged children knows, this is clearly part of plant tissue."

"Plants? Could it be...?"

"It's the root system of the rainforest infected by 'Tai Sui'," not far away, accompanied by another burst of gunfire and even the sound of explosives detonating, a squad led by Luca, composed of former members of the "Red Cat" gang, approached the area. "Since the trees on the ground can turn into monsters, their underground root systems can certainly do the same."

"That's it? Then they're no problem." After chopping down several thin, long objects, Chief Officer Mint, who was leading armed maids to protect Ange, said dismissively, "We're not going to be stopped by a bunch of broken tree roots."

"But the problem is, considering the ecosystem here, we might face more than just tree roots... Wow!" Luca had only spoken halfway when she had to jump sharply to the side, barely avoiding a bamboo shoot that was crawling out from between her legs.

Immediately afterward, a slight tremor ran beneath his feet, and Fish quickly retreated several steps, narrowly avoiding a bamboo shoot that suddenly sprouted out. This thing was not only sharper and thinner than ordinary bamboo shoots, but its surface was also clearly covered with a reinforced shell made of hard polysaccharides, and it had a hollow, needle-like structure at the top. Although he didn't know what it injected, it was obvious that no normal person would want to try to become its victim.

"Holy crap, meow!" Upon seeing this thing, Fish was so shocked that he instinctively added a "meow" to the end of his sentence—after all, while tree roots that only started to pierce and attack after emerging from the ground were troublesome, they weren't insurmountable. However, bamboo shoots were a different story. Even in the natural environment, these things could grow several feet tall every day, and with the blessing of "Tai Sui," their attack efficiency was more than multiplied.

"Damn it!" As two more bamboo shoots emerged from the ground like spears, Ange sliced ​​them in two with a single sword stroke. However, your portable library contains more than ten thousand volumes. Most commandos don't have her resources: their steel bayonets and jungle machetes can cut through waving tree roots, but bamboo's surface structure is extremely resilient. Although a vertical slash at the right angle and precise location can achieve a literal "unstoppable" effect, in a panic, only a few can do so.

Worse still, these bamboo shoots emerge from the ground almost randomly, and the uncertainty of being pierced through the soles of the feet or even losing one's chastity at any moment greatly increases the chaos among the commandos, making them unable to move forward in this hellish bamboo spear trap.

To make matters worse, enemy fire erupted from the surrounding jungle at that moment. Many of the assault team members, who were focused on their footing, were caught off guard and were hit by the bullets one after another.

"They're infected human soldiers... These bastards' tactical coordination is really good." Fish muttered after cutting down several bamboo shoots.

"We'll handle these guys." With the crisp sound of sniper rifle fire, several firing positions hidden in the jungle fell silent again shortly after they opened fire—the snipers, led by Melu, reacted quickly after being attacked.

Meanwhile, around them, the entire armored squad, including Xiaoxing, was keeping a close watch on any threats, while using themselves as shields for Melu and the others... After learning from the problems exposed in the previous virtual training, Fish deliberately strengthened his vigilance, not giving anyone a chance to ambush Melu, who was focused on sniping.

Meanwhile, Luca, surrounded by her subordinates clad in specially crafted heavy armor, arrived at the front of the assault team. The armor worn by these former "Red Cat" bandit members was modified by themselves using firefighters' fireproof suits and heavy bulletproof plates. Its protective capabilities surpassed those of low-ranking armored warriors' intelligent combat armor, but its biggest drawback was that it was extremely stuffy when worn.

Fortunately, this heat is nothing compared to the hellish heat their enemies will face next.

Because everyone was carrying specially made heavy flamethrowers.

Although they are impervious to bullets, and explosives and melee weapons like swords are of limited effectiveness against them, these plants are not the unusual fire-loving plants found in Australia. Faced with a flamethrower, they can only be carbonized and damaged by the intense heat. Inside their hollow interiors, the air expands rapidly due to the heat, eventually bursting through the bamboo joints and exploding with a crackling sound.

"Not bad, not bad, that sound is so festive!" Luca said with a smile. "The legendary 'firecracker' originally referred to this."

Although many bamboo shoots emerged from around Luca's group, attempting a counterattack, Luca's men, protected by their heavy-duty suits, continued their steady advance. They not only burned the bamboo shoots and tree roots that had emerged from the ground, but also spewed flames onto the ground. The intense heat scorched the surface humus, causing the carbon within to oxidize as well, which in turn charred and dehydrated the tree roots and slender bamboo shoots below, ultimately leaving behind a charred, safe zone.

"Everyone! Concentrate on the burned areas and advance!" Fish said, stomping out the embers remaining on the ground beside him. "Armored warriors, keep your helmets sealed. Everyone else, put on your gas masks! Be careful not to inhale too much smoke!"

With the power of alternating fire from heavy flamethrowers, the assault team finally overcame the problems caused by the tree roots and bamboo shoots infected by the "Tai Sui" and began to advance quickly. Although the firearms and light artillery of the infected human soldiers caused some trouble at first, they quickly quieted down after being "persuaded" by Luca and the others.

Although the Principality of Irian neglected these outlying islands and had very few garrisons, leading to their swift capture, on the bright side, the sparse garrison on the islands also prevented the "Tai Sui" from capturing enough people. They had to make do with what they had, relying on various infected plants and animals to make up the numbers, which made Fish's attack much easier.

...At least, before some other "surprises" occurred, Fish did think that way for a time.

Initially, the dead were some commandos positioned at the edge of the battle formation—amidst the flames, thick smoke, and continuous firefight, even Imperial Guard soldiers found it difficult to keep track of their surroundings, including the sudden disappearance of their comrades. It wasn't until someone noticed that many squads were inexplicably suffering heavy casualties at the edge of the burning woodland that they realized the gravity of the situation.

"Attention! Enemy ambushes nearby!" After a comrade was suddenly struck in the temple by a cluster of needles and fell silently, a low-ranking armored warrior serving as deputy platoon leader shouted a warning to the others. But no sooner had he finished speaking than something pierced his body, and even the tough intelligent combat armor could not withstand the fatal blow.

Then, shortly after he fell to the ground, he simply... disappeared.

"What is this?! What's going on?!"

Upon discovering the man's absence, Fish noticed a gap in his communication network with the armored warriors—meaning that at least his intelligent combat armor, equipped with communication capabilities, had been completely destroyed.

"Judging from the current situation, this is probably... the worst-case scenario I anticipated," Huang Yan said. "However, I didn't expect them to resort to this move so quickly."

"How bad is it?"

Just as Fish was asking his question, several more squads were attacked. Their situation was exactly the same as the previous one: something unseen suddenly pierced them, pulled them down, and then in an instant, these people disappeared without a trace, as if melting into the air, right before everyone's eyes.

Many people—including the armored warriors—began to look around anxiously, even scanning everywhere with the scanning devices built into their smart combat armor. However, no sign of the enemy target could be found, let alone detected, in the visible light, thermal imaging, ultraviolet light, or personal radar detection bands.

"That's right, it's 'that thing'," Huang Yan said. "Quickly notify Luca and the others to use flamethrowers to indiscriminately burn the surrounding area."

"Huh? Why?"

"Those who disappeared weren't taken away," Huang Yan quickly explained, "they were devoured."