The beach assault commenced.
Huang Bingyan, Minister of the Exile Star Military, personally arrived at the seaside town to oversee the command post.
First, over a hundred unmanned submarines were launched, advancing majestically towards the sea.
These unmanned submarines were custom-designed and built by the military factory. Each was divided into six sections, with the surface of every section covered in spiral blades that could rotate at high speeds, slicing through any approaching life forms. Powered by nuclear energy, their thrust was comparable to rockets, capable of turning a humpback whale into minced meat.
These submarines were used to clear the path, breaking through the barrier of fish shoals in the seabed, serving a similar purpose to heavily armored cavalry responsible for high-speed formation breaking.
Following them, twenty thousand mechanized soldiers marched into the sea. The entire surface of the ocean churned with splashing water, resembling dumplings being thrown into a pot.
Once in the seawater, the mechanized soldiers swam forward with all their might, their posture akin to fish. As more and more mechanized soldiers entered the water, a vast school of steel fish formed, constantly parting the seawater, pursuing the submarines with a menacing aura.
Half an hour later, the mechanized soldier unit encountered the seabed fish shoals head-on.
This sea seemed to have anticipated a large-scale attack, having amassed an astonishing number of fish beforehand.
It appeared as if a dense wall of fish rose from the seabed, accompanied by mountains of crabs, fogs of jellyfish, and mudslides of shellfish. Spiked sea urchins were shot out like cannonballs from the fish shoals, firing in volleys at the approaching mechanized soldiers. However, the steel bodies of the mechanized soldiers were unfazed by these marine creatures, capable of slaughtering large numbers of small animals with a single sweep.
Besides small fish, larger creatures like whales, sharks, and manatees also appeared, all becoming prey for the submarines. The unmanned submarines automatically attacked targets exceeding a hundred pounds, smashing whales like pounding garlic. The rotating outer shells of the submarines simultaneously cut through the fish along the way, creating a whirlwind of flesh and blood. Many shredded fish were even ejected from the sea, resembling watermelon pulp splattered from a juicer, creating a rather bloody scene.
The battle intensified, and blood began to appear, growing thicker. Red whirlwinds formed on the seabed, and the water turned from blue to dark red, clearly visible even from satellites. The sea surface looked like a gaping wound, with a monstrous stench accompanied by countless dead fish rising to the surface. The pulpy flesh resembled scabs around the wound.
The mechanized soldier unit soon reported encountering electronic interference, with many frontline mechanized soldiers experiencing stiffness.
The frontline commander activated the anti-interference devices on the unmanned submarines, powerfully suppressing the signal flow in the sea.
The pressure on the mechanized soldiers immediately eased, and they continued to engage in combat.
The air force dispatched escort ships, which flew over the sea surface to enhance electronic countermeasures.
The electronic interference originated from electronic parasites within the fish shoals. Something was controlling these parasites and integrating the signals, transforming the vast seawater into a massive jammer. However, this level of signal interference was still primitive, far from being at a wartime level. Once the escort ships arrived, they completely suppressed the fish shoals' signals, as easily as crushing a milk carton with a car.
After more than two hours of fierce fighting, a floating island of dead fish and shrimp had formed on the sea surface, undulating with the currents. If all these dead fish were collected, they would be enough to feed a town of ten thousand people for several years.
White seabirds flocked from all directions, circling high in the sky but daring not to land. While they were delighted to see food, the continuous eruption of food like a fountain was somewhat eerie. It was akin to humans passing by a fried chicken shop and seeing thousands of fried chickens spewing out like a mudslide from the doorway; they would certainly hesitate to approach.
Mechanized soldiers began to surface one after another, climbing onto the ships to replace batteries and damaged components. kanδん
After rinsing off the fish scales and entrails, they leaped back into the water for battle.
"A small trench has been discovered. Fish are rushing out from the trench. We are preparing to organize a commando team to enter," the mechanized soldier commander reported from underwater.
Huang Bingyan immediately replied, "Maintain safety."
The command post was quiet and tense. Huang Bingyan and the officers stared at the fluctuating data on the screens, relying on the intermittent frontline reports to gauge the latest developments, as they could not directly observe the engagement.
A long wait ensued.
Finally, another message arrived.
"Giant plants discovered at the bottom of the trench, emitting extremely strong signal turbulence. Commando teams are being organized to forcibly excavate the plants."
Huang Bingyan's eyes lit up.
She recalled a type of plant that Jiang Ye had once told her about.
The Mole Rat Flower.
The military suspected that the Mole Rat Flower was controlling the beast tides, and this discovery was likely the culprit. The fish shoals in the ocean were meant to protect the Mole Rat Flower.
"Plant cutting is complete."
"The fish tide has stopped. All fish are leaving."
These two new messages further validated Huang Bingyan's hypothesis.
The underwater plants cut by the mechanized soldiers were likely the mastermind behind the beast tides. However, it was still unknown how large an area of beast tide a single plant could control.
It took a full two hours for the cut underwater plants to be transported to the beach by the mechanized soldiers.
The plant's size exceeded everyone's expectations, at least fifty meters long, lying on the beach like a stranded blue whale. The severed end at the bottom had a diameter of twelve meters, cut inch by inch by the mechanized soldiers, a task no less difficult than cutting a rubber tree with a small knife.
After a brief rest, the mechanized soldiers swarmed forward, beginning to clear the debris from the plant's surface. This included a hard coral layer, layers of shellfish, a protective suit composed of thousands of squid and tens of thousands of jellyfish, and thick seabed vegetation, all wrapped around it like moss on a rock.
From the outside, it was almost impossible to tell it was a plant; it looked like a giant, ancient seabed reef, with various marine organisms parasitizing and coexisting on it. The mechanized soldiers had only discovered this behemoth using their detectors.
Huang Bingyan stood by the beach, observing silently.
She felt a pang of unease. This plant had used so much camouflage to disguise itself. It could even manipulate the countless creatures on this planet to fight for it. It was truly monstrous.
Finally, all the outer layers on the plant's surface were stripped away.
Blood-red leaves were revealed, plump and thick, reminiscent of giant aloe vera plants in the desert. However, each leaf of this aloe vera was nearly fifty meters long, comparable to the blades of a wind turbine.
The leaves also had vein-like structures, with blood flowing internally, still trembling slightly.
"It's still alive!" someone exclaimed.
Immediately after, those giant leaves slowly unfurled, like a peacock displaying its tail feathers.
...
Jiang Ye sat at his desk, gazing out at the Red Guard 1, holding a cup of lotus leaf tea, its steam rising gently.
A beam of red light shone on his face from below. Jiang Ye was startled and looked down at his desk screen, seeing an urgent message from Huang Bingyan. wΑp.kanshu伍.net
Jiang Ye quickly clicked it open.
On the beach, a giant red aloe vera bloomed skyward, its leaves reaching the height of a ten-story building. Numerous mechanized soldiers nearby were firing their weapons, bullets raining down like hail. Blood flowed from the leaves, staining large patches of yellow sand crimson-black.
"Commander, is this a Mole Rat Flower? The troops just cut it from the seabed, and it bloomed as soon as it reached the shore. We don't know what it means," Huang Bingyan's message read.