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Chapter 45: The Fierce Zealots
"What do we do?" Arroz and Housen were both visibly shaken. Though the bat demons were climbing on the ceiling, their speed was no slower than a human sprint—and that wasn’t even taking into account their leathery wings. Only a fool would think those wings were just for blocking bullets.
Run? They couldn’t outrun them. Fight? Against a horde of over a hundred bat demons, how could they possibly win?
Tang Fang had never imagined this scenario. He had considered the possibility of encountering statue guardians or other mechanical units, but he hadn’t anticipated these bizarre creatures.
From their appearance, structure, and even the data from their scanning devices, these creatures were clearly not of the same species as the Epsilon race.
They were bloodthirsty, violent, and lacked higher intelligence. With the technological prowess of the Epsilons, if they had intended to set up defensive forces, at the very least, they should have been on par with the two statues guarding the ruins. How could they have left behind these wretched vermin?
Pets? Like the Chihuahuas or Persian cats humans kept in their homes? That must be a joke, and not a funny one at that.
"Tang Fang, what are you thinking?"
There was still a long way to go before reaching the T-shaped intersection, but the bat demons were already flapping their wings, closing in from behind. As for the nine zerglings, they had already been reduced to nothing more than spent cartridges, flushed down the drain after a night of passion. If they didn’t come up with a solution soon, the three of them would likely meet the same fate.
"Huh?" Tang Fang snapped out of his thoughts.
"Huh? What ‘huh’? Think of something quick! If you keep ‘huh’-ing, we’ll all end up as dried husks." Housen, while speaking, pried a fragmentation grenade off Arroz’s waist, pulled the safety pin, pressed the detonator, and casually tossed it behind them.
"Boom!" Shrapnel flew everywhere, and the front row of bat demons screeched in agony.
However, this wasn’t enough to kill them. After all, their bodies were massive, and their wings were even tougher than the scales of the zerglings.
Tang Fang glanced back, his face hardening. Suddenly, he came to an abrupt stop. "If we can’t run, then let’s fight!"
Housen froze, nearly stumbling to the ground. "Fight? Are you out of your mind? How are we supposed to fight? Look at how many of them there are."
Arroz didn’t say much. He reloaded his magazine, turned around, and stood firmly to Tang Fang’s left.
Tang Fang gave him a sidelong glance but didn’t respond. He raised his right hand and waved it gently. A ripple of energy flashed, and seven towering zealots appeared in front of the trio. Each wielded glowing energy blades, clad in golden Protoss armor, their eyes burning with fervor. Their sleek, whip-like hair fluttered behind them, and a faint blue plasma shield enveloped their bodies.
Housen was dumbfounded, staring at these nearly three-meter-tall warriors exuding an aura of death. His mouth hung open wide enough to fit a large pear.
What were these? They weren’t like the alien bugs or any human units he’d seen before—they were clearly soldiers from another alien race.
Housen gazed blankly at these born berserkers. "How does this guy keep pulling out new tricks? Good grief! He’s like a treasure chest, always full of surprises."
Arroz’s eyes flickered briefly with surprise before dimming again. By now, he was somewhat desensitized to Tang Fang’s endless parade of new gadgets. Still, deep down, he felt a twinge of pride. Back on Planet 5, among the thirty-some people, he had always found Tang Fang particularly likable. Now, it seemed like his instinct was correct.
In truth, Tang Fang didn’t need reminding about the dire situation behind them. When Housen called out to him, he wasn’t distracted—he had shifted his focus to the system interface, commanding the Gateway to produce zealots.
While running, he had suddenly thought of an idea.
The corridor was about six meters wide and over ten meters high—hardly suitable for swarm tactics. There were plenty of bat demons, numbering over a hundred, so fighting inside the large structure beyond the rune-inscribed door would definitely favor them. But in this narrow passageway, even if they could cling to the ceiling and advance, who knew which side would prevail?
In terms of individual combat power, zealots, queens, spine crawlers—any of them were stronger than the bat demons. So what if there were many? Bring it on; Tang Fang could play with them like toys.
As ripples of energy flashed repeatedly, Queens, Spine Crawler, Reapers, Marauders, and Marine appeared in front of the trio, forming a layered battle line. Naturally, the frontline was occupied by the notoriously tough zealots, followed by the spine crawler, marauders, reapers, and a newly produced marine. Bringing up the rear were two queens.
The sudden appearance of this strange combination didn’t faze the bat demons, who continued their relentless charge.
The first to strike were the zealots. With a cry of “Issah’Tu!” four zealots swung their energy blades, launching a frenzied assault on the front ranks of bat demons.
"Shh!"
Against the high-frequency oscillating particle beam weapons, the bat demons’ wings—which had resisted bullets—were as fragile as paper, easily sliced in two. Severed wings flew into the air, scattering fresh blood.
"Roar!"
A low growl echoed, but it was abruptly cut short as another zealot thrust its blade into the demon’s throat. With a swift slash, a massive head soared into the air.
Foul-smelling blood rained down, instantly evaporating upon contact with the zealots’ plasma shields. Though smaller in stature, the zealots wielded their energy blades like sharp sickles harvesting wheat. Each time a silver flash streaked through the air, a bloodied head soared skyward.
This scene repeated itself again and again.
Just four zealots managed to halt the advance of the bat demons’ ground forces. One by one, headless bat corpses collapsed to the floor, their blood pooling into rivers.
The deaths of their comrades did nothing to instill fear in these low-intelligence beasts. The slaughter on the ground continued, and so did the crawling on the ceiling.
When the first wave of bat demons bypassed the ground battlefield carved out by the zealots, they encountered a barrage of fire from the marine, reapers, marauders, spine crawler, and queens.
"Pfft pfft pfft."
"Boom, boom."
...
Metal spikes from the marine, grenades from the marauders, bone spines from the queens… a storm of attacks erupted among the enemy ranks.
One by one, bat demons fell from the ceiling, only to be bisected by the waiting zealots.
It was a massacre, a one-sided slaughter. In just ten minutes, the four leading zealots had nearly wiped out over thirty bat demons. The cost? Merely some shield energy lost to acid sprays.
The fate of the bat demons above was even more tragic. Whether pierced by metal spikes, riddled with bone spines, or impaled by the spine crawler, once they fell, the three supporting zealots would finish them off, hacking them into piles of meat.
Housen, watching the carnage unfold, joined the attack sequence. After seeing the first zealot effortlessly decapitate a bat demon, Arroz completely relaxed. Taking advantage of the chaos, he leisurely lit a cigar, puffing on it contentedly, savoring each draw like a baby suckling milk.
Seeing the river of bat demon blood creeping toward them, Tang Fang hesitated for a moment, then took a few cautious steps forward, slowly extending his hand.
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