The locust swarm and the government troops fought it out, Mushroom Cannons and Activity light-waves going off all over the field while the green light flashed from the locusts' mouthparts without a break. That green light could slice open even the nuclear-grade pangolin's scales. Its power was frightening.

Strictly speaking, the Activity water-wave did still hold the green light back.

Otherwise plenty of the iron people's battle trucks would have gone down under its tearing at the first clash. It was only thanks to the Activity water-wave that they could barely hold off the swarm's attack.

For a while.

The battlefield roared without letup, blood and fire all mixed together.

But the government troops soon began to show signs of breaking. Against the swarm's dense numbers they had only a few dozen battle trucks, taking wave after wave of tearing green light, and the losses were heavy. It was like a video game where you get ganged up on by small fry and your health drains away by the second, too fast to ever recover.

Crack!

The armor of one battle truck was bitten through, and the locust that had done it immediately thrust its head inside to go for the soldiers in the compartment. Its mouthparts glowed green, and there was no telling how many wires and circuits it had already bitten through.

"Die, you disgusting grasshopper!" A jin person with a short spear drove it hard into the locust's mouthparts.

The locust bit down on the spear and swallowed fast, dragging along the jin person, who didn't let go in time.

Then its head shot forward to bite him.

His jin-person squadmate kicked him clear at once. Then he found an opening, stabbed the locust in the eye and set off the Activity light-wave on his weapon, killing it.

"Thanks, man! If it weren't for you, all two hundred-plus catties of me would've been done for right here."

"Cut the crap and grab another weapon. There's way too many of these disgusting things. Don't get careless."

"You think we can hold them off?"

"Yes!" his squadmate said flatly.