Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high! Chapter 1078 - 733: Holding the Line

It wasn't just them; the other squads' communications echoed the same discouraging sentiments.

The Golden Federation's "Purification" squad, engaged in a brutal conflict on the Ice Satellite, sent a curt reply: "Our operating environment is highly unusual; we can barely sustain ourselves and are incapable of offering support."

On the desert planet Red Sand Star, the Flame Republic's "Reaping" squad, deep in guerrilla warfare, responded with irritation: "We're constantly fighting through swarms of bugs here; how could we possibly have the time to babysit elsewhere? They need to handle it themselves!"

The Forging Worlds Collective's "Echo" squad, occupied with activating ancient technology within ruins on the Ancient Clock Satellite, conveyed a researcher's focused message: "We are in the process of deciphering a critical technological node. This technology holds the potential for a decisive impact on the entire war effort; we cannot afford any distractions."

...

Only the Free Star Alliance's "Bedrock" squad, not counted among the Seven Sons of the Empire, had its captain, amidst a temporary lull in fierce combat, sigh and transmit their response: "We are currently dedicating all our efforts to organizing the evacuation of five hundred thousand personnel from the Home Station. The pressure on us is immense, and we are also quite distant from Jade Stone Star. Should we manage to complete the Home Station evacuation ahead of schedule, and if our route allows, we might consider dispatching a portion of our forces to the periphery of the Jade Stone Star System for limited assistance, but no guarantees can be made."

With the final reply received, it became clear that, at least in the foreseeable near future, Bai E and the New Bauhinia Squad would receive no substantial, immediate aid for their large-scale evacuation efforts on Jade Stone Star.

Onboard the "Thorny Bird," Bai E was promptly briefed by the recorder regarding the command center's decision and the other teams' responses.

The recorder's expression was tinged with complexity: "Command has given principle approval to halt the offensive and requires us to continue providing surveillance data. However, regarding coordinated support... only the Free Star Alliance offered a non-committal, long-term promise. All other teams, including the Steel Alliance squad also present on Jade Stone Star, outright refused."

Catherine, Rose, Kuang Xin, and the others visibly reacted with dismay to this news.

While they had somewhat anticipated this outcome, its confirmation still sent a wave of coldness through them.

"As expected," Bai E stated calmly, his voice betraying little emotion. "Relying on others is never as effective as relying on ourselves. All teams, proceed according to the original plan. Expand search and guidance coverage. Prioritize safety; focus on guiding civilians and establishing temporary safe zones, and avoid getting entangled in protracted battles."

"Yes, sir!"

The twenty members of New Bauhinia divided into several groups, utilizing the "Thorny Bird" as their operational base. Like droplets dispersing into a boiling cauldron, they began to navigate the vast and perilous surface of Jade Stone Star.

Rose's unit undertook a dangerous raid on a small shelter besieged by the Bug Race. After eliminating the bug guardians, they successfully escorted hundreds of civilians through hazardous zones to a comparatively secure valley, marked by a temporary signal tower erected by "Ashes."

Gu Lan and Xiliu's group collaborated, leveraging their agility and intimate knowledge of the terrain to clear blockades and ambush points along a major highway devastated by the Bug Race. This enabled several civilian-laden, abandoned buses to resume their journey towards the distant direction from which faint artillery sounds could still be heard—indicating the presence of an organized human defensive line.

Kuang Xin and Ares's unit operated much like an emergency response team. Wherever a powerful distress signal emerged or combat intensified, they converged, employing overwhelming firepower to temporarily repel the Bug Race. Their actions created escape routes for beleaguered small defense units or fleeing civilians, directing them towards safety before they swiftly moved to the next crisis point.

Zero, accompanied by two other snipers, secured elevated positions to provide long-range early warning and precision support for the various squads. They eliminated the most threatening long-range bug units that posed a danger to civilians.

Bai E himself moved like an apparition across the battlefield; wherever the situation was most dire, the flash of his blue-white blade was invariably present.

His "Bug Race Killer" instinct not only guided him in locating and eliminating the bug creatures but also in detecting pockets of life amidst the chaos, thereby directing rescue efforts.

Their concerted endeavors did indeed succeed in saving tens of thousands of lives.

Gazing upon the warriors, whose unfamiliar paint hues and never-before-seen Mecha models stood before them, the civilians, recently snatched from the jaws of death, were filled with a profound gratitude and the glistening tears of survivors. They possessed no knowledge of what "New Bauhinia" signified; their understanding was simple: these individuals were dispatched by the Star Alliance to ensure their salvation.

However, confronted by a planet-level catastrophe, the strength of any single individual was ultimately but a minuscule speck in the vast ocean of despair.

On the panoramic display of the "Thorny Bird," the macro-simulation depicting life signals across Jade Stone Star painted a grim picture. Pale green dots, representing clusters of humanity, began to dim and vanish, patch by patch, at a speed startlingly visible to the naked eye. They were swiftly consumed by the encroaching dark purple, a hue signifying Bug Race proliferation and the relentless spread of their biomass carpets.

Within the operational zones of the New Bauhinia Squad, the rate at which these green dots extinguished did show a slight deceleration. Occasionally, small pockets of green would even rekindle. Yet, in stark contrast to the planet-wide collapse, occurring like a breached dam, these valiant efforts amounted to little more than a mantis attempting to halt a charging chariot.

With each subsequent report of the latest scan data delivered to Bai E, Catherine's voice became increasingly burdened.

"My lord, the 'Rocky Mountains' defensive line in the northern hemisphere has been decisively breached. The signals from three large-scale shelters have completely disappeared, with an estimated loss exceeding eight hundred thousand souls..."

"The final resistance signal stemming from 'Light Pearl City' on the west coast ceased a mere ten minutes ago. The Bug Race biomass carpet is advancing inland at an unrelenting pace of fifteen kilometers per hour..."

"In the 'Red Iron' industrial zone on the East Continent, a minimum of two million people remain trapped within underground shelters, but our forces and accessible routes are insufficient to reach them..."

"The aggregate count of global life signals... has now dipped below five hundred million, and the speed of this decline is alarmingly escalating."