Netherworld Retrograde

Chapter 241: Chapter 113: Unexpected Rescue

The Radical Faction’s plan was logically sound.

The number of the Insect Swarm was enormous, but its lower-tier members were easily eliminated.

Ordinary people, once trained in firearms, could easily kill a lone lower-tier member of the Insect Race.

Not to mention the human soldiers seasoned by battlefield experience and the veteran Scavengers.

As long as there was enough ammunition and they maintained a safe distance, they could kill many of the lower-tier Insect Swarm.

The Spiritual Ability Users were even more formidable.

Thus, on the battlefield, the casualty ratio between humans and the Insect Swarm was staggering.

Unless they ran out of ammunition or suffered from a disadvantageous terrain, the human defenders could often kill dozens of times their number of the Insect Swarm.

But due to the Slaughter Insect Swarm’s trait of devouring biomass, the numbers and strength of the Insect Swarm continued to increase, birthing more and more high-tier members of the Insect Race.

Humans had barely managed to kill insect numbers that were dozens, even hundreds of times their own.

The next time, they might have to face a thousand times more.

Breach shelters were all torn apart amidst continuous sieges by the Insect Swarm.

Once gaps showed, they were shredded.

Upon hunting enough humans, the Insect Swarm began to devour the corpses of their kin and humans, then birthed even more Insect Swarm!

Unless the Insect Swarm’s ability to devour biomass was completely severed, humans were doomed to be exhausted eventually. Ammunition would run out, and both physical strength and Spiritual Energy would be depleted.

For example, War Worms, Hunting Insects, Abyss Worms, Military Advisor Insects.

These high-tier and elite members of the Insect Race, elite soldiers like Ye Boshou could kill them relatively easily.

But if their numbers increased, appearing in tens, fifties, hundreds, or even thousands.

Even Captain Level powerhouses could be worn down to death.

By that time, not even the Mad King’s intervention would help.

Thus, the Radical Faction’s idea was to annihilate large numbers of the Insect Swarm as quickly as possible before they could develop further and burn all the corpses of humans and insects killed in battle.

This would involve massive support from the legions and Spiritual Ability Users from outside the Disaster Fog, coming from Border City No.1, Border City No.2, and the rearguard city, Lava Mine City.

This would tip the combat power ratio between humans and the Insect Swarm inside the Disaster Fog in favor of the humans.

Directly attack the Insect Swarm with overwhelming force!

As long as the Insect Swarm couldn’t recycle biomass, they couldn’t keep increasing their numbers, and eventually, the Catastrophe Fog Master would be left commanding nothing.

Humans could find it, encircle it, kick it around, and might even capture a Catastrophe Fog Master!

But the cost of this plan was for the majority of the outside world’s human forces to enter the Disaster Fog.

The Forbidden Zones outside would not just sit by and watch.

It was very likely that a massive army would press in.

Humans might suppress the Disaster Fog only to find out on their return that Giant City had been destroyed.

Therefore, the Conservative faction thought the Radical Faction’s plan was too conservative and that the cost and time involved were too great.

Is this what conserving really means?

The Conservative faction believed the plan required too many personnel and was highly risky.

Since risks were involved anyway, why not take a big gamble!

No need for too much support from the outside, just gather the current human strength within the Disaster Fog. Then, use all high-risk Taboo Items and, if necessary, actively twist them.

They knew that having so many Taboo Items out of control simultaneously could eliminate both humans and insects within the Disaster Fog.

Class B Taboo Items all had large-scale destructive power and could even affect the entire Giant City.

Just the Class B Forbidden Item Ice and Snow Witch known to Li Yelai could turn the cities within the Disaster Fog into a frigid ice plain.

Certain dangerous Taboo Items could even instantaneously alter the biological forms within their range.

This would force the Insect Swarm to launch a comprehensive assault, potentially even prompting the Catastrophe Fog Master to intervene.

At that point, they could call on the Old Mad King to take action.

The core thought of the Conservative faction was, either die together or kill all humans before dying together!

And if humans were to fail, they would actively lose control of all Taboo Items, dragging the Insect Swarm down with them!

Considering the Insect Swarm’s intelligence, this plan could also evolve into a form of deterrence.

Of course, the stakes were also very high for the Conservative faction.

Not to mention the difficulty of a total assault, just gathering the force could risk many shelters being breached due to the deployment.

Moreover, the Insect Swarm would rapidly evolve, very likely developing resistance to the Taboo Items.

Like the Ice and Snow Witch, which upon losing control would progressively freeze the surrounding space, reportedly could lower the temperature within its range to more than seventy degrees below zero, with the core area even lower. Spiritual Barriers could not withstand it. But if the Insect Swarm evolved a freeze-resistant member, it would be in vain, harming only humans.

This was an even riskier plan than that of the Radical Faction. But at least it wouldn’t implicate the humans of the Giant City outside.

There were three possible outcomes.

The best outcome would be if humans successfully lured or forced the Catastrophe Fog Master out, and the Old Mad King delivered a killing blow!

The next best outcome, the main human forces would be annihilated, losing control of the Taboo Items, and die along with the Insect Swarm.

The worst outcome, humans would be annihilated, the Taboo Items adapted by the Insect Swarm, and the Catastrophe Fog Master would continue to grow...

Li Yelai was somewhat taken aback for a moment; to him, both methods were insane.

One risked the obliteration of Giant City, and the other the complete annihilation of humans within the Disaster Fog.

”What plan did you ultimately choose?” Li Yelai asked.

”We haven’t made a decision yet,” Cheese shook his head in response, ”We are currently more interested in finding the exact location of the Catastrophe Fog Master through the Military Advisor Insect. For now, that’s the plan...”

Li Yelai silently nodded; this was the safest, relatively least costly measure. But the success rate was very low, and if the situation didn’t improve after a while, humans would have to take a risk.