Those who reincarnate must die.

The mission requires holding the fortress for 144 hours, which is exactly six days!

The Reincarnators arrived in this world on the morning of the first day, meaning they will leave on the morning of the seventh day. It's currently the fifth day, with just over one day left. If they can hold out until then, the Reincarnators can complete their mission and leave this cruel world of human-insect war…

However, is it really that easy to hold on to this last day?

Two days is enough time for the insects to evolve unprecedented structures to defend against unseen weapons... This terrifying characteristic makes the remaining day and a half seem incredibly long.

The insect swarm on the fifth day failed to shake the fortress's defenses, but everyone could see that this was just a small test of the insects' power after they had completed their evolution. On the sixth day, an even more terrifying attack was likely to follow.

"The altar won't issue missions that guarantee certain death..." Fang Tianhua frowned.

"This is what a veteran who has completed more than twenty missions told me when I first arrived at the altar, and it has been proven time and again in my subsequent adventures! No matter how difficult a mission seems, there is always a breakthrough point. If we can't pass it, it only means that we haven't grasped the key yet!"

"But even though we've invented gunpowder, it still can't stop the insects!"

Liu Mofei was crestfallen; even this usually talkative and carefree streamer had lost her temper.

"They're not asking us to invent the atomic bomb, are they?"

"It shouldn't be a weapon!" Le Xinyi rested her chin on her hand, her lips slightly pouting.

"Gunpowder is already a weapon ahead of its time; anything more advanced is simply impossible from a technological standpoint! There must be other breakthroughs!"

"If we can't strengthen ourselves, then let's weaken the enemy!"

Having narrowly escaped death from the insect swarm's clutches during the day, Ye Peng had finally calmed down. As a top student from a prestigious university, he was quick-witted.

"I think the solution to dealing with insects lies within the insects themselves!"

"I think Xiaopeng makes a good point!" Fang Tianhua took out his notebook, tore off a page, and wrote on it with a pen: "Let's summarize what we know about the insects so far..."

Everyone shared their opinions, some based on firsthand accounts, others on stories told by indigenous people. After eliminating obviously unreliable rumors, the following points were summarized.

1. The insects come from the north.

2. Do insects possess an amazing ability to evolve? They can adapt to unprecedented threats within days.

3. Do different types of insects have clearly defined roles and know how to advance and retreat strategically in battle? While individual insects may have low intelligence but are fearless, there should be a reasonably intelligent leader among them. Moreover, they most likely communicate via sound waves, and the leader is not located too far away.

4. Insects hibernate at night, but if you wake them up, they will attack even more violently.

5. Why did the insects attack Sunset Fortress? Because Sunset Fortress is connected to the only bridge across the river, and it is the only land route to Jiangnan!

…………

"That's strange..." Ye Peng frowned as he looked at the list of reasons. "If insects can evolve blast-resistant shells in just two days, why can't they evolve the ability to swim? Or at least they could all fly!"

"That's easy to understand..." Wang Chufeng adjusted his glasses and analyzed:

"Aquatic arthropods? And they're so big, they'd be crippled on land and easily killed. As for flying insects, you've seen them too, they're dangerous but also fragile. The real main force? Are these land-based insects!"

"These insects can't be judged by common sense!" Le Xinyi shook her head. "They've even evolved blast-resistant reactive armor? An amphibious creature shouldn't be a problem for them! I guess... they just haven't met the conditions yet, or haven't had enough time!"

"Possibly!"

Zhang Lang suddenly spoke up: "Feng Xi once said that these insects originally only had a few basic types, and all these varieties have evolved in the last six months or so! It was from that time that humanity began to suffer repeated defeats!"

"The last six months?" high school student Lin Yiming exclaimed in surprise, "Could it be that the switch to unlock our genetic potential has been turned on?"

"Who knows..." Ye Peng shook his head and said, "Maybe it's not necessary now. Perhaps one day, these insects will suddenly get a brainwave and evolve the ability to swim, thus bypassing the fortress!"

At this point, the handsome Ye suddenly paused, "Oh dear, if that's the case, then our mission to stop them from heading south has failed, hasn't it?"

"No way!" Fang Tianhua retorted, "That kind of mission is impossible to complete. The altar wouldn't give out such a mission! At least during our time here, the insects definitely won't be able to swim across the river!"

"But that doesn't mean it won't happen in the future..."

Zhang Lang narrowed his eyes. He was concerned not only with the mission, but also with the survival of this world after they left...

"Then there's only one way!" Zhang Lang's gaze swept over everyone: "Under the cover of night, find the Zerg's lair and take out their commander!"

Upon hearing this, the newlyweds' expressions changed, and Wang Chufeng immediately shook his head: "No, we're not going!"

Even the seasoned veteran Liu Mofei immediately refused: "Leave the castle? Go to the insects' home? I'd rather die than go!"

Ye Peng hesitated for a moment, then Fang Tianhua looked at Zhang Lang and said, "This is no joke!"

Liu Xingwei frowned and said, "I think this is a good method!"

Le Xinyi nodded: "Even if we don't have the chance to assassinate them, we can still try to gather some intelligence, and maybe find more weaknesses in the insects!"

"I can go by myself!" Zhang Lang said, looking at the crowd. "You'll only be a burden if you come along!"

"What did you say?" Ye Pengteng stood up abruptly, and Liu Xingwei also looked displeased: "No matter how strong you are, don't look down on others!"

"Stop arguing!" Fang Tianhua waved his hand. "Going to the insects' lair is definitely a risky move. While fortune favors the bold, you can't risk your life. Even if you're incredibly skilled, Hunter, you can't withstand hundreds of millions of insects, can you? I advise you not to do anything foolish. See how things go tomorrow; maybe you can survive this mission without risking your life! Even if you fail, you only lose points; if you really die here, everything will be over!"

Fang Tianhua's words represented the views of most of the reincarnators, and everyone nodded in agreement, except for Zhang Lang, whose brows were furrowed...

He wasn't just doing it for the grades!

…………

The night passed quickly, and as the first rays of the rising sun shone from the horizon, the soldiers began their preparations. Two hours later, the swarm of insects appeared on the horizon...

Without hesitation or probing, this time, the swarm launched a full-scale attack!

Hundreds of thousands of insects surged in like a tidal wave, and Sunset Fortress was well prepared for battle. As soon as the insects entered range, it began to suppress them from a distance.

Having learned from yesterday's lesson, the catapults on the city wall have been adjusted to have varying ranges, effectively reducing the risk of being intercepted by the fire-breathing beetles and allowing the explosive shells to once again play their role in halting the insects' advance...

Zhang Lang stood on the city wall, looking at the swarm of insects. It seemed that no hell centipedes had appeared today, and the intensity of their attacks was about the same as yesterday. They could barely hold on with the help of gunpowder weapons.

It seems like they have no other options?

"This is the darkness before dawn!" the virtual voice reminded Zhang Lang in his mind.

"This means that tomorrow morning's final attack will be absolutely devastating. You'd better succeed tonight! Otherwise, not only will you lose all your main quest points, but you'll also lose all the points you earned from killing monsters, and all the time you've spent playing these past few days will have been for nothing!"

Zhang Lang nodded.

Last night, he intended to infiltrate the insect hive. However, since he came up with the plan late at night, he was afraid that if he went and came back too late, the city wall would be breached this morning without his help to defend it, so he stayed behind.

However, Zhang Lang has already decided that he will begin his operation tonight after sunset!

While Zhang Lang was making plans in his mind, he circled around the city wall a few times, killing many of the various insects that rushed up the wall.

Overall, the Zerg attack today was lukewarm and didn't put much pressure on the fortress. As the sun began to set, the Zerg began to retreat. The soldiers, as always, raised their arms and cheered, celebrating surviving another day!

Zhang Lang descended the city wall, but instead of returning to his room, he found another barracks and hid in the shadows around the corner.

A short while later, an officer in light armor returned, picking his teeth; he must have just finished dinner.

Zhang Lang dashed forward like a ghost, taking the officer with him. The man didn't even have time to react; by the time he came to his senses, he was already in the city's stables!

"This is..." He only managed to utter two words before Zhang Lang covered his mouth: "I ask, you answer, don't shout, understand?"

The officer recognized the monster that had torn apart the purple-gold war worms and nodded in horror.

Zhang Lang released his mouth: "You're the captain of the Sixth Scout Team?"

"Yes..." The scout captain was arguably the bravest soldier in the fortress, but at this moment he was covered in sweat and his heart was pounding.

"Then do you know where the insect nest is?"

"An insect hive?" The scout captain shook his head. "I don't know... We've never explored that far before... But I should be able to track it down!"

"Oh?" Zhang Lang narrowed his eyes. "Very good. Pick out your horse and take me to the insect hive!"

"Huh?" The scout captain was taken aback. "Just the two of us?"

"Just the two of us!" Zhang Lang nodded. "Hurry up, the night isn't as long as you think!"

The scout captain thought the guy was crazy, but he had no other choice but to fetch his own warhorse.

"But how are we going to get out?"

The officer felt as if he had boarded a pirate ship:

"The city gates have long been bricked up, and we've been using sleds to go up and down the walls. But there are no guards on those sleds, and if we were to lead our warhorses up the walls, the patrols would definitely spot us..."

"You go up first! Wait near the gondola!" Zhang Lang looked at him. "Don't try anything funny. I remember who you are. If I want someone dead, even the marshal can't stop them!"

"I understand..."

The officer had no doubt about the insect killer's abilities. He cautiously walked up the city wall and approached the basket. The patrolling soldiers nodded and saluted him, showing great respect for this brave warrior who dared to venture out of the city.

The scout captain stood nonchalantly on the city wall, but a thought was creeping into his mind:

"It's fine if I come up here; I can just take a walk and enjoy the breeze. But bringing the horse up here is too conspicuous. In the dead of night, the clattering hooves will definitely attract attention. What is this guy trying to do... eh?"

As the officer was analyzing the situation, he suddenly noticed that Zhang Lang had appeared behind him unnoticed, supporting his warhorse with one hand and pinching its muzzle with the other. The warhorse was filled with terror, its body stiff and motionless, with what appeared to be tears welling up in its eyes…

"How did you get up here?" the scout captain asked in surprise. "How come you didn't make a sound?"

"They jumped up!" Zhang Lang whispered.

"Huh?" The scout captain's eyes widened. "Jump? You... your legs are really good..."

"Enough talk!" Zhang Lang gently placed his warhorse in the shadows. "Keep your horse steady! Don't let it make a sound!"

"Oh..." The officer took the reins and quickly tried to calm the horse. Upon seeing its owner, the horse immediately shook its head and rubbed against the officer's shoulder, but dared not utter a sound...

Zhang Lang turned and disappeared into the darkness. A short while later, several thuds came from the control panel of the suspended platform. Zhang Lang reappeared and gestured for him to follow. The scout captain led his horse to the control panel and found the guarding soldier had already fainted…

"Put the basket up!" Zhang Lang commanded.

The officer could only lead his horse up. Although it was called a hanging basket, it was actually a huge elevator that could easily accommodate ten people and ten horses at a time.

The scouts' warhorses were used to going up this platform every day. After the man and his horse were steady, Zhang Lang turned the winch to lower them down, and then jumped down himself.

"Lead the way..." Zhang Lang pointed north.

"Are you really planning to go to the insect hive?"

The scout captain still couldn't quite believe it. Especially seeing that Zhang Lang wasn't wearing any armor, only carrying a two-handed longsword, was he really planning to go to the insects' headquarters like this? What for? To watch the show? To satisfy his curiosity?

"Or should I play with you?" Zhang Lang looked into the scout captain's eyes.

"The insects are endless. No matter how many soldiers we have or how powerful our weapons are, we can't kill them all. Only by attacking their lair and taking down the insect king can we win this war!"

Upon hearing Zhang Lang's words, the scout captain was filled with respect and felt a surge of adrenaline rush to his chest: "You are a true warrior, I am willing to lead the way for you! But your equipment..."

"Stop talking nonsense and let's go!" Zhang Lang urged, "Otherwise, someone will find out!"

And so, the two secretly left the fortress under the moonlight and headed north.

If Zhang Lang were to run on his own, he would be several times faster than a warhorse, but apart from the general direction of north, he knew nothing about the exact location or distance of the insect hive... Tomorrow is the final deadline for the mission, and it would be troublesome if he took a wrong turn and wandered around outside all night, so a reliable guide is essential!

Just as Zhang Lang and the scout captain were secretly leaving, Feng Xi had been waiting in the training ground for quite some time, carrying a wooden sword...

"Why didn't you come today?" The female general seemed a little resentful. After thinking for a moment, she entered the fortress, found Zhang Lang's barracks, and learned that he hadn't returned since leaving the city wall.

Feng Xi frowned, her eyes darting around, and walked towards the barracks of "General Yuan's former subordinates"...

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