This was the role of an industrial-type Mobile City—to provide logistical support to allies on the battlefield at any moment!
At the same time.
“Zhou Yi!” Lei Qing roared.
“Received!”
No further words were needed. The armor plates on the side of the *Elegy* slid open, and several crudely designed helicopters roared out. They dropped viscous coagulant agents over the heads of the ambushers, instantly slowing the remaining swarm’s movements.
Immediately after, a volley from the *Cornucopia* and the *Silence* tore these slowed, living targets to shreds!
All the incoming “ambushers” failed to make the slightest impact on the Rust Town alliance’s formation.
However, in the distance, a red light flashed within the countless compound eyes of the “Founder.” On the fungal carpet, over a thousand smaller, mantis-like “Strikers” were birthed!
Extremely fast, they transformed into streaks of black lightning, splitting into two groups and charging directly at the flanks of the two major alliances!
“City Lord, new bugs!”
Wei Ran reported immediately.
The primary target of the Strikers was precisely the *Cornucopia*, the Mobile City closest to the edge of the formation!
“My flank! There are too many!” Qian Wansan’s panicked voice crackled over the comms channel.
As the *Singularity* was over a kilometer away from them, Jiang Zhixu did not hear Qian Wansan’s voice.
But he saw the other party’s raised signal flags indicating “Requesting Support”!
“Lu Yan,”
Seeing this, Jiang Zhixu no longer waited. “Load the Thunder Cannon. Target, the bug swarm on the *Cornucopia’s* port side!”
“Yes, City Lord!”
The muzzle of the large cannon gleaming with white light on the *Singularity* instantly gathered a blinding blue electrical charge!
*BOOM!*
A deafening crack, like thunder from a clear sky!
A shell wreathed in lightning snakes shrieked through the air, landing precisely amidst the swarm besieging the *Cornucopia*!
It did not cause a massive explosion. Instead, upon impact, it released an ever-expanding sphere of lightning.
Countless violent arcs of electricity leaped and conducted wildly through the swarm, forming a massive electrical net.
The net carried a potent paralyzing effect.
Any bug touched by it—those at the center were instantly turned to charcoal, while those on the periphery were completely paralyzed, unable to move, and were then easily finished off by the ensuing ordinary shells.
In mere seconds, a vacuum zone dozens of meters in diameter was cleared on the *Cornucopia’s* flank!
“My heavens… thank you, City Lord Jiang!”
Although he knew Jiang Zhixu couldn’t hear him, Qian Wansan still expressed his gratitude with lingering fear.
Simultaneously, he was astonished by the *Singularity’s* gunner’s skill!
The reason was simple: the other party had controlled the Thunder Cannon’s area of effect with extreme precision. The expanding lightning net stopped exactly at the edge of the *Cornucopia*!
Just a few meters more, and it would have certainly caused friendly fire on the *Cornucopia*!
It was precisely because the bugs were so close that the *Cornucopia* hadn’t dared to use its own Tier-1 cannons.
“Signalman, signal our thanks!” Qian Wansan immediately ordered. “Combat vehicle teams, deploy! Coordinate with gunners to clear the trash! Also, keep one cannon ready at all times to support the *Singularity*!”
A series of commands were issued. The *Cornucopia* disgorged a swarm of combat vehicles like giving birth, all of them Tier-1 armored vehicles equipped with Tier-1 heavy machine guns.
Caliber was justice. Ordinary bugs were shredded upon contact, making the trash-clearing efficiency extremely high!
…
Meanwhile, on the other side, the temporary five-city alliance was having a much rougher time.
Having endured the first wave of acid rain strikes, the fortress city no longer dared to charge recklessly to the front.
With the strongest fortress city holding back, the other four cities were even less willing to stick their necks out, each more protective of their own lives than the last.
Thus, when the “Strikers” charged straight in, not even giving them time to deploy their combat vehicles, one city had its tracks severed by several Strikers’ scythe-like claws, leaving it immobilized!
“Save me! Save me!”
That city’s lord screamed desperately over the public channel.
But his allies were already overwhelmed, with no time to spare for an immobile city.
Before long, sparks and flames erupted from within that city, its cannons drooped, and it fell completely silent.
Seeing this, the other four cities felt the urge to retreat, but they were now entangled by even more Strikers, plunging them into a desperate fight where even escape became a luxury!
Right at that moment, the unique, thunderclap-like sound of cannon fire echoed through the air once more.
The lord of the fortress city discovered in horror that a shell trailing a wake of lightning was flying straight towards them!
*’Attacking us at a time like this?!’*
The fortress lord was furious, but before he could even curse, the shell soared over his head and landed precisely in the densest cluster of bugs surrounding them.
Instantly clearing a large area!
“Did… did they miss?”
That thought had just formed when another identical Thunder Cannon shell descended from the sky, exploding amidst the bug swarm on their other side!
Two shells had actually forcefully relieved them of this life-and-death crisis!
Now no one could doubt it was a miss. Clearly, this was aid from the other side!
The four surviving lords were overjoyed. They hurriedly deployed their respective combat vehicle teams, pairing them with various machine guns and rifles to clean up the remaining “Strikers,” finally catching their breath.
Amidst their relief, they looked towards the distant, black-and-gold *Singularity*, standing firm and unmoving, feeling a surge of profound gratitude and awe.
“Those were two Tier-1 shells… they were willing to use them to save unrelated people?”
They wanted to express their thanks but had no means to contact the other party, so they could only set it aside for now, keeping it in mind.
…
“Lu Yan, don’t be stingy with the Thunder Cannon shells. People will think our *Singularity* can’t afford them. Open fire freely on my command!”
After Jiang Zhixu’s order was given, Lu Yan’s actions also became more unrestrained.
They were still a full seven or eight kilometers from the “Founder,” but the resistance from the bug swarms was growing stronger.
It was precisely for this reason that Jiang Zhixu no longer wanted Lu Yan to conserve shells.
However, the decision to save the four cities on the other side of the riverbed also came from his own mouth, not Lu Yan acting on his own initiative.
“Their survival is more useful.”
He explained this in response to Lady Ying’s query.
As long as the other alliance continued to exist, it would draw half of the bug forces away from them.
This explanation successfully convinced Lady Ying, who promptly relayed it to the others.
Though she also remarked meaningfully, “City Lord Jiang is truly generous.”
“Not really.”
Jiang Zhixu brushed it off casually, then said, “Lady Ying, please take over the rear guard. I need to move closer to the front lines.”
The Rust Town formation was a sharp blade.
But the *Iron Guard*, serving as the tip of this blade, showed signs of fatigue after firing seven consecutive Tier-1 Magma Shells.
Although ordinary shells were still plentiful, the lack of Tier-1 shells would undoubtedly slow their overall advance.
Jiang Zhixu intended to replace him.
“You still have reserves of Tier-1 shells?” Lady Ying was genuinely surprised this time.
She remembered the *Singularity* had only just started out. Did it really have that many Resources?
The response to her was a continuous barrage of ordinary shells and a Tier-1 Thunder Cannon shell every thirty seconds.
“…I understand. I’ll inform Zhou Yi and the others to change formation.”
Not long after.
The *Singularity* no longer held back. Its power furnace entered an overload state, accelerating wildly. It directly overtook Lady Ying and Qian Wansan, taking up the very front of the formation!