The True Threat

A batch of heavy cannon bug modifications was completed that day.

In fact, the number of heavy cannon bugs was currently small; these things were quite expensive and were best suited for sieges and long-range support.

One hundred of the new Hydralisk Type IIs were produced and immediately sent to the front lines of the Gexilu United Kingdom, where they launched attacks on the enemy from a distance.

The final test results satisfied Xia Jin, as even their light armored vehicles were directly pierced.

Previously, the bugs had no effective way to deal with these mass-produced vehicles.

In some of the more difficult areas, the Swarm had to rely on multiple ultralisks leading the charge just to stand a chance of taking them down.

While ultralisks fared well against Mia, they couldn't even reach the enemy when facing a power like Gexilu, whose firepower had been upgraded across the board.

Although Gexilu utilized many armored vehicles, they didn't understand tactics like blitzkrieg, combined arms, or the concentrated use of armor. This provided the Zerg with opportunities to achieve concentrated breakthroughs.

A bunch of sneaky camper bugs (not really) hid in the back; as long as any pair of eyes spotted an enemy armored vehicle, the heavy cannon bugs in the distance would aim and fire immediately.

When long-range fire support was unavailable, the Swarm would dispatch its aerial forces for bombing runs.

Of course, air superiority was currently held by the Empire. During these times, the tactics became simpler: letting banelings roll up or using catapults to launch them into the fray. The resulting explosions and acid would melt the armor until it was thin enough to be pierced, at which point a volley from the hydralisks would finish the job.

The Swarm's relentless tactics were truly devastating. Facing a perfect encirclement from three directions, the Gexilu United Kingdom's internal command system was a complete mess.

Especially with the bugs landing along the lakeside area, the northern part of Gexilu was immediately opened up by the Zerg.

The Swarm could now move easily between the two expansion lines.

Drawing from Xia Jin's experience playing certain Paradox games in her past life, she used a massive number of locusts as line-filler divisions while utilizing local elites for infiltration tactics to create one encirclement after another, annihilating the enemy's active forces.

Though locusts were weak, they couldn't be ignored. If left alone, even the strongest soldiers could be worn down by their venom and claws. Their presence drew the attention of the enemy's main forces, preventing Gexilu from effectively and centrally deploying troops when the Swarm's elites attempted a breakthrough in other areas.

Most incredibly, regardless of the pressure on the front lines, Xia Jin ensured that one to two hundred swarm hosts were produced every day.

This directly led to a daily explosion in locust production.

One hundred swarm hosts meant an additional 48,000 locusts every day.

Most of the swarm hosts burrowed into hidden pits, slowly incubating bugs. They were scattered throughout Clear and the city states region, making them extremely difficult to notice.

...

With the deployment of the modified heavy cannon bugs and Hydralisk Type IIs, breakthroughs in local areas of the front began to accelerate.

Modified roaches began to have rocket bug launch tubes mounted on their backs, with a person sitting atop them.

These creatures moved to the second line of combat, becoming mobile rocket bug launch vehicles with greater mobility than the unicycle rockets and higher explosive power.

Adding in the unicycles supplied to the front over the last two days, as of today, Xia Jin's inventory of artillery and long-range Zerg units on the front lines was as follows:

West Line (west of the Gexilu United Kingdom, main objective: Novien): 800 unicycle rocket bug launch vehicles, 60 heavy cannon bugs, 80 modified roaches, 500 hydralisks, 100 ravagers, 400 lurkers, 200 elf bugs, 10 anti-aircraft rocket bug launch racks (sea-based model), 200 traditional magic cannons.

Central Line (main objective: Gexilu United Kingdom): 3,800 unicycle rocket bug launch vehicles, 200 heavy cannon bugs, 400 modified roaches, 3,000 hydralisks, 1,000 ravagers, 2,200 lurkers, 500 elf bugs, 60 anti-aircraft rocket bug launch racks (sea-based model), 800 traditional magic cannons.

East Line (main objective: Kelu): 500 unicycle rocket bug launch vehicles, 20 heavy cannon bugs, 100 modified roaches, 800 hydralisks, 100 ravagers, 200 lurkers, 100 elf bugs, 30 anti-aircraft rocket bug launch racks (sea-based model), 300 traditional magic cannons.

...

The factories in Clear certainly didn't disappoint Xia Jin; the replenishment speed of the unicycles was remarkably fast. Every few hours, the Swarm's firepower grew stronger.

By now, Gexilu's firepower had fallen behind. Because each unicycle on the Swarm's side carried a large amount of ammunition, the firepower of a single unit was actually more intense than several of the Gexilu United Kingdom's guns combined.

Under the relentless, day-and-night bombardment of thunderous rockets, the hundreds of thousands of troops on Gexilu's front lines were soon decimated.

Many units simply collapsed after being hit by the shelling, losing contact with their comrades.

By the time they regained their senses, massive swarms of locusts had already descended upon them.

Xia Jin played this low-cost war exceptionally well. Although her own losses weren't small, the overall number of her main swarm forces continued to rise.

This threw the well-prepared Gexilu United Kingdom into total chaos.

Upon learning of the situation, the Dawn Empire cursed the country for its incompetence.

But they seemed powerless to change it. Now, the Empire had no choice but to intervene. At the very least, their primary focus could no longer remain on the demons.

The true threat was the Zerg in the north.