Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

The new situation forced Bai E to make a swift decision—

It might have been that the Bug Race hive master had learned of the attack on its expansion force by humans and sent reinforcements, or it may have guessed that humans would come back to stop it and set up an ambush in advance... However, either way, it seemed more likely that, after the more defensively-oriented colossal insects arrived, killing the one that was firing would be extremely difficult.

The only thing that gave Bai E some confidence was perhaps the drop rate hint panel—

[??? (Bug Race) (Elite)—Kill with "Lucky Strike" to drop: Guaranteed (Bug Tribe Essence Extract*2000, Battle Experience 6000 points); High Probability (Knowledge: High Pressure Filling); Possible (Knowledge: High-Intensity Material Synthesis)]

Lacking enough energy to use his Lucky Strike didn't prevent Bai E from making an approximate judgment of the situation based on the information from the panel.

Whether it was the experience in the drop items, or the items themselves, it meant that the giant beast only seemed huge but was far from the "Overlord" level in actuality.
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No matter how large it was or how much destructive power it could unleash, it was just an elite monster.

The enemy's destructive ability might be strong, but perhaps that was all there was to it.

The only trouble was that it was under the protection of the Bug Race army.

"Captain..."

"Should we support the rear?"

"..."

Voices of teammates came one after another through the voice channel.

Before they even officially engaged the Bug Race giant, the four other mech pilots had already felt the pressure from the oncoming tide of insects.

Not to mention that now three more colossi were rapidly approaching, aiming to join the battlefield.

For them, already nervous about piloting a mecha onto the battlefield for the first time, some remained silent but in the open mic channel, the clear sound of swallowing saliva could be heard.

Morale was low.

The consecutive surprises left them wavering, and the uncertainty of their own strength compared to their enemies made them especially confused about the situation.

Fortunately, the order from the commanding officer at the rear came just in time, "Block the four new unknown colossi as much as possible, we will clear the field and provide support as soon as possible."

"Roger that," Bai E responded instantly.

Then, turning to his teammates, he said, "Full speed ahead, we must kill the artillery beast before the three red giants arrive. The main force at the rear is under attack; we are the only hope to turn the tide!"

As his voice fell, Bai E hesitated no longer.

Descriptions in the mission were not aimless most of the time. If their mecha squad's killing action couldn't succeed quickly, perhaps the entire operation against the Bug Race expansion would be unlikely to succeed.

Whether they could rapidly take down that fiercely firepowered monster was absolutely the crux of the battle.

"Hiss! Hiss!"

Sounds of jet propulsion came from the various valves of the mechanical transmission, and Rose, almost sharing the same determination as Bai E, simultaneously increased her operation intensity in an instant.

An endless stream of commands were issued without pause, and the mechas operated by the two of them instantly broke away from the group, shooting out like an arrow.

They bolted forward!

The chasm between them and the sea of bugs seemed to narrow down to just one step away.

"What are you doing?" the roar of the superior commander came through the earpiece.

"Decapitation," Bai E's calm voice remained steady, even as his hands raced, almost dancing into a blur.

"Who gave you permission to act on your own?!"

The military was not like those special combat units in the cities that esteemed individual valor.

Only with the precise and seamless cooperation between comrades could they defeat one enemy after another that had to be vanquished.

To achieve that, first and foremost... there could only be one brain.

Even if this brain did not make the best decisions at times, as long as they were united, they could often create miracles.

A soldier with an excess of self-awareness was never liked by any commander.

Not to mention, against the Bugs, who could claim they were capable of lone combat without the support of their teammates?

To go into battle alone was nothing but a death sentence.

"This is the only possible way to win this battle."

"Tsss!"

The piercing noise in the earpiece made the mech commander yank off his headset in a fury, "Damn it!"

He had long heard that among the regular mech pilots there were talents even admired by the big shots of Mechanical Court, and he was pleased to lead such individuals into battle.

But upon first contact, these pilots' performance had been utterly disappointing.

"What's wrong?" the total commander, with eyes marked by deep wrinkles of authority, looked over and asked in a low voice.

It was he who had made the assessment of the battle situation.

The decision to have the mecha squad act conservatively was made with the thought that even if they failed to act, they could still retreat safely.

An operation intended as a mere training exercise for mech pilots turned into an encounter with up to two types and four unknown Bug Race colossi, far exceeding the Military Department's expectations. Even if they had to retreat in failure, there would be no fault to speak of.

On the contrary, losing too much fighting power for a doomed war would be irresponsible to the entire city.

As for the expanded territory of the Bug Race?

He believed that humanity would ultimately be the victor!

Facing the inquiry of the total commander, the mech commander, still not over his irritation, replied emphatically, "He disregarded military orders, acting on his own initiative!"

After a pause, he added, "I've taken over the command of the other mecha personnel, instructing them to hold their ground temporarily."