The appearance of fighter jets in the sky had already significantly boosted the morale of the people on the ground. The hornet bees in the forest were incredibly unintelligent. When they heard the roaring sound from the sky and looked up, they only saw massive shapes flying overhead. They mistook them for a very strange type of bird, so even though their flight speed was fast, they were not a significant threat. However, this perception soon changed.
"Whoosh..." The fighter jets in the sky were equipped with a large number of missiles, all of which were short-range and capable of close-quarters combat. Many of these missiles contained poison gas. Upon landing, they would detonate, releasing a liquid poison that instantly vaporized, causing casualties.
"Boom..." A series of explosions erupted in the forest. The intensity of these explosions was so great that many people in the distance could hear them. Following the explosions, smoke of various colors appeared at the impact sites.
Although the smoke varied in color, once it spread, it had the same lethal effect. As the poison gas diffused, many nearby hornet bees that inhaled it immediately succumbed, their respiratory systems failing.
"Buzz..." The hornet bees flapped their wings incessantly, emitting a buzzing sound that was irritating and unsettling. It was similar to the sound made by flies, a sound that humans had ingrained in their memory as annoying.
The reason the hornet bees were buzzing so rapidly was actually a form of communication. Hornet bees communicated in various ways. The simplest was through pheromones, which involved releasing different scents. Upon receiving these pheromones, other insects would understand their intentions. Another method was through actions, such as many bees drawing an "8" in the air, which was also a form of communication. Yet another was through the sounds produced by wing vibrations.
After a brief period of communication, the hornet bees left their nests and ventured deeper into the forest, abandoning the current area of woodland. The hornet bees possessed a basic instinct for self-preservation, understanding that staying would not lead to victory. Thus, they chose to leave.
Many queen bees also appeared at this time. These queen bees were not significantly larger in size but appeared much bigger than ordinary hornet bees. Each queen bee was at least as large as a human and flew at a considerable speed. With the queen bees leading the charge, the other hornet bees followed them in their escape, abandoning the forest.
For bees, the presence of queen bees is crucial, as only queen bees possess reproductive capabilities. Queen bees, also known as bee queens, are fed royal jelly and develop much better than ordinary bees. As long as these hornet bees had their queen bees, they could preserve their species. Upon reaching a new location, they could rebuild their nests and acquire new territories.
However, many areas within the forest were already shrouded in large patches of mist of varying colors, some red, some yellow, appearing highly toxic. If the bees entered these mists, a large number of hornet bees on the ground would die, piling up to a depth of about a foot.
It had become extremely difficult for the hornet bees to bypass these mists. They could only move within confined spaces, flying south continuously and no longer daring to venture north. The north was filled with unknown attacks and various strange smokes, causing heavy casualties among the hornet bees. Their usual advantages in close combat and numerical superiority were rendered useless.
At this moment, Shen Feng's Gale Cannon had gathered its power. Upon completion, it was unleashed, sending a powerful gust of wind that tore through the air. Wherever it passed, countless hornet bee corpses on the ground were swept aside, preventing them from accumulating.
"Boom..." Even though everyone covered their ears tightly, they could still hear the earth-shattering sound.
As the air cannon was fired, it broke the sound barrier. The projectile itself struck numerous trees in the distance, causing them to collapse. However, this was a rainforest, and abundant rainfall would soon allow them to regrow.
The area traversed by the air cannon had been cleared, forming a flat path. Following this path, people could directly enter the forest and engage in combat.
"I will clear more paths. You will advance along these paths, but be mindful of your safety. Although these hornet bees have increased in size, they are still adept at hiding in the forest. Beware of any attacks that might emerge from the trees," Shen Feng stated loudly to everyone.
"What about me?" Chang Haojie asked eagerly, wanting to rush out and fight.
"You continue to protect your sister and absolutely do not wander off! However, you can go up to the sky and observe the battle!" Shen Feng replied.
Chang Haojie appeared displeased with this assignment. After all, he had arrived on the battlefield and felt like a coward if he couldn't fight.
Over the next few minutes, Shen Feng continued to use the air cannon to clear the way. With each shot, a straight path was formed on the ground. Along this path, all the hornet bee corpses were blown to the sides, no longer posing an obstacle. There was no need to look down to see if a hornet bee would attack; everyone could simply march forward with large strides.
"Shouldn't we burn all these hornet bees? After all, so many harmful creatures, if we don't burn them, they might pose a threat to others in the future," someone suddenly voiced their opinion, suggesting burning the hornet bees to eliminate future worries.
Yang Chang quickly interjected, "Don't talk nonsense. Although these insects have mutated, they are still flesh and blood. Since they are flesh and blood, they possess energy, full of protein. Quickly pack them up and send them back to Yuzhou."
"I don't think many people would eat these insects. Even if they did, there are risks, as these hornet bees contain a lot of venom internally. What if one accidentally consumes the venom? That would be a serious problem," the person inquired, not understanding.
"Who said I wanted humans to eat the corpses of these insects? These things won't fetch a good price. Perhaps if they were given away for free, people might take them home and roast them. However, it would be best to send them to the laboratory for the mutated plant to consume, so it can produce evolution base. To recover the losses incurred during the battle, we must find a way to sell some essential goods!" Yang Chang stated.
The advantage Yuzhou currently held over other regions was its ability to produce large quantities of evolution agents. This was made possible by their possession of a mutated plant. When this mutated plant received energy replenishment, it could produce a strange substance that enabled human evolution, known as evolution base.
At this juncture, once war broke out, Yuzhou would face a colossal deficit. As the saying goes, "The sound of cannons is worth ten thousand pieces of gold," implying that war consumes a region's economic strength and long-term capabilities. If logistics faltered, the war was destined to fail.
To sustain the war effort, the corpses of these insects became extremely important. Collecting and packaging them to be sent back to Yuzhou would allow for the production of evolution base, which could then be sold for food or gold, thereby stabilizing Yuzhou's economy. If the war were to last for several years, all regions would likely descend into poverty, and the peaceful life they once knew would cease to exist.
Shen Feng also heard Yang Chang's plan and responded, "Your idea is excellent. Immediately recruit many laborers from the vicinity to help with these miscellaneous tasks. They have nothing to do in the city anyway, so it's a good opportunity to give them something to do!"
Millions of people in the southwestern region were anxiously watching this war. Even those who couldn't be present at the scene received continuous updates from the front lines. Many had learned of the front-line situation and the excellent performance of Shen Feng's army on the battlefield, with the war now gaining the upper hand.
"Why didn't we use poison gas for attacks earlier? If we had known that poison gas was the weakness of these insects, we would have used it to attack these damned hornet bees long ago. How could we have let them push all the way into our heartland?" someone lamented belatedly.
Many people in Dian Province held similar thoughts, as they were capable of producing poison gas. Dian Province had numerous chemical plants that could continuously produce poison gas, much of which was unwanted byproduct. If they simply produced this poison gas and sent it to the front lines, wouldn't they achieve victory?
However, this idea was quickly dismissed by others: "Your thinking is completely nonsensical. Even if we could use poison gas on the battlefield, if the wind direction changed, the poison gas would blow back into the city or the army. In that case, how many people would be killed by the poison gas? We would essentially be decimated by our own forces before even engaging the hornet bees!"
Upon hearing this explanation, the others realized that using poison gas for attacks was not something everyone could do. At the very least, Shen Feng, due to his abilities, could use poison gas on the battlefield without worrying about sudden changes in wind direction.
"So, you're saying that only Shen Feng can use poison gas for attacks, and only he can do it?"
"That's right, that's exactly what it means. Now that we have returned to their command, we can only leave our fate to chance! However, we all have our established positions locally. Even if Shen Feng becomes our new leader, he cannot dismiss us!" someone declared proudly at this moment.
In China, there is a saying: "Officials are not hereditary, but clerks are."
The meaning of this saying is quite simple: many officials are in fluid positions and cannot be considered hereditary because their positions are not passed down through generations. However, many minor officials, or grassroots enforcement personnel, can pass their positions down through generations, thereby controlling grassroots power. Once this situation arises, it is difficult to directly deal with these minor officials.
This is essentially the logic behind the decision of the people of Dian Province to submit to Yuzhou. Many understood that even if they submitted to Yuzhou's command, their status would not be shaken. They could continue to live freely amidst the apocalypse. However, if the hornet bees from the south attacked, their status would be jeopardized, and their lives might even be at risk. At this point, there was no other option but to seek external aid.
Shen Feng's advance on the front lines was proceeding very smoothly. There were no hornet bees that could resist him wherever he went. Enraged, the army pursued them for 30 kilometers, avenging the many fallen soldiers.
However, the news transmitted by satellite images caused deep concern, as the situation remained grim.
Almost the entire southern region, including the area of Myanmar, was now occupied by hornet bees. Even parts of Dian Province had been infiltrated by them. The territory they had recaptured was very small, and reclaiming the entire region would undoubtedly be a significant challenge.