Those who reincarnate must die.

When the experiment ended, there were less than two hours left until sunrise.

Because of the marshal's orders, only a minimal number of soldiers were on guard on the city walls, while the vast majority of the soldiers gathered in the barracks to manufacture gunpowder weapons according to the instructions of the craftsmen.

Not just helmets, but also bamboo tubes, pottery jars, cotton quilts, barbed wire, parchment... they used everything they could find to make bombs. Although it was tiring and tedious, no one complained, because they knew it was their lifeline, their hope for survival.

The moon was about to set, and on the dimly lit city wall, Zhang Lang once again stood at the collapsed breach, carrying his slaughtering broadsword, gazing northward, waiting for the insects to appear.

With Teacher Luo's guidance, the craftsmen worked through the night, and although the collapsed area could not be fully restored, it was at least partially repaired. The stones outside were cleared away, restoring the steep slope and preventing insects from easily climbing the city wall.

Only two days had passed. In the days that followed, the insect attacks would only grow stronger with each wave. Zhang Lang knew that his individual strength would have very limited effect in this kind of war. Simply fighting recklessly, even if he could protect himself, wouldn't allow him to complete the main quest, and the world would be destroyed by the insects…

"Hey, what are you daydreaming about?" A clear voice woke Zhang Lang from his reverie. He turned around and saw a dashing young female general in golden armor looking at him.

"General Feng?"

Zhang Lang was taken aback, but Feng Xi smiled and patted him on the shoulder:

"Just call me Feng Xi! What's wrong? Why are you spacing out in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"

"It's nothing..." Zhang Lang shook his head, his mind still seemingly not quite back to normal.

Seeing his dazed expression, Feng Xi chuckled, "Wake up! There's less than half an hour left? It'll be dawn soon, and the insects could attack at any moment!"

Zhang Lang nodded slightly, then suddenly asked, "Feng Xi... I have something I want to ask you..."

"What's the matter... so formal!" Feng Xi looked at his serious expression and couldn't help but feel a little nervous: "Just ask, and I'll answer..."

Zhang Lang seemed puzzled by her nervousness and asked, "Why do these insects retreat at night?"

"Huh?" Feng Xi seemed taken aback, then looked at Zhang Lang with some surprise: "As General Yuan's former subordinate, you didn't know?"

"I don't know..." Zhang Lang explained honestly. Now that he had made great contributions in battle, he was not afraid of arousing any suspicion. If he pretended, he would not get any information.

"It's because of hibernation!" Feng Xi said, "Insects collectively go into hibernation after sunset and only become active again when the sun comes out... General Yuan was the first to discover this characteristic!"

Zhang Lang continued, "Then why don't we just attack while the insects are dormant?"

Feng Xi sighed: "I've tried before, but it failed. Although the insects are dormant, they will be awakened once attacked, and they will be even more ferocious than during the day."

"Three years ago, General Yuan lost tens of thousands of men in a night attack on the insect swarm and was even reprimanded by the Emperor. How could you not know about this?"

"I hadn't joined the army yet back then..."

Zhang Lang shook his head, vaguely covering up the matter, but in his mind he was pondering whether the insects hibernated at night or went berserk when disturbed. This seemed to be a very important clue.

For some reason, he had a vague premonition that they were on the right track with gunpowder weapons, but it wasn't enough. These makeshift bombs alone couldn't hold off the swarm of insects; there must be other crucial information that could guide them to a way out!

If possible, the soldiers of Sunset Fortress would surely wish the night would never end, but no one can stop the passage of time. Soon, the eastern horizon turned a pale white, and the dazzling sunrise slowly rose, bringing its light back to the earth…

The soldiers who had been working on weapons all night returned to the city walls before sunrise to prepare for defense. These soldiers all had dark circles under their eyes, but they were all in high spirits, for now they possessed a decisive weapon! They believed that with that magical weapon, no matter how many insects came, they would die beneath the fortress!

Sure enough, less than two hours after sunrise, traces of insect swarms appeared on the horizon. From a distance, they looked even more terrifying and numerous than the previous day!

Accompanied by billowing dust, the swarm of insects drew ever closer, soon reaching the range of the catapult!

This time, however, the catapult did not rush to fire. Instead, it waited a while until the foremost insects had penetrated dozens of meters into the range before soldiers stepped forward with torches!

This time, the catapult's sheath wasn't filled with boulders doused in kerosene, but with bombs made of gunpowder!

However, according to the analysis of the reincarnators and craftsmen, while making a bomb the size of a boulder would be incredibly powerful, it would also be a huge waste of materials. Therefore, the final result was that they only made many bombs the size of a human head, with about ten placed in a leather case. They twisted the fuses together, lit them, and launched them!

In this way, the dozen or so bombs flying in mid-air will automatically separate because the fuses are burned out, falling into the swarm of insects like a shower of flowers, and exploding with a bang!

These bombs were more than just explosive. To increase their lethality, the craftsmen added caltrops, shards of armor, and broken arrowheads. Upon detonation, these metal fragments scattered in all directions, their power comparable to bullets; any insectoid within a radius of several meters that was hit would either die or be severely injured!

After this first round of launching, hundreds of bombs were dropped into the swarm!

The effect left the defenders on the city wall dumbfounded, and they immediately erupted in cheers!

In the past, when launching incendiary stone projectiles, each projectile could only kill one or two insects at most, and crush three to five insects. The main reason was that the fire oil attached to the projectiles would burn and isolate the insect swarm, reducing the intensity of their impact on the city wall!

But this time was different. The soldiers clearly saw that the area hit by the bombs after this round of attacks was instantly cleared up!

That's right! Insects caught in the blast were either instantly blown to pieces, their limbs flying everywhere. Those further away were either killed by the shockwave or shot, lying on the ground in droves!

The effect was as if a vast wheat field had suddenly been harvested! It instantly became shorter!

This bombing run will likely kill thousands of insects!

"Quick! Don't just stand there, keep going!"

The messenger shouted excitedly, but the insects were not afraid. Although a large number of them were killed, the insects behind them would just step on the corpses of their companions and continue to advance!

The slingers continued loading, igniting, and firing alternately, creating a continuous barrage of fire. But inevitably, some slipped through the net, joining the group that had run ahead and dodged the bombs, and advanced towards the city walls!

At this distance, it's time for the ballistae to prove their worth.

The winch is cocked, crossbow bolts are loaded, and the arrows are fired at the swarm of insects!

Unlike before, this time the arrow shafts were fitted with gunpowder packets, which were tightly wrapped in bamboo tubes and iron plates. When lit, they were fired, turning the original heavy crossbow bolts into rockets that exploded with a deafening roar among the insect swarm.

Very few insects can survive the ballista test; the final hurdle awaits them: the archer's explosive arrows!

To ensure the speed and accuracy of the arrow's flight, the amount of gunpowder tied to the arrow shaft is not large. It might be a bit difficult to kill an insect covered in shells, but it is enough to sever its legs and make it difficult for it to move!

The arrows that were originally stuck in the insects could not penetrate their shells unless they hit a vital spot. In the end, a bunch of insects with five or six arrows stuck in their bodies climbed up the city wall and were still able to jump around and torture the soldiers!

Now, as long as it hits, even if the arrowhead doesn't penetrate deeply, the gunpowder explosion on the shaft is enough to severely injure the insect. At the very least, the power of the explosion can push the arrowhead deeper!

It's true what they say: every arrow kills an insect!

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