Chapter 19 Surrounded by Insect Swarms

"You also take care." Nicole said to Qin Hao.

"By the way, I'll give this back to you." Qin Hao took off the long alloy knife from his back and handed it to Nicole. After all, it was a matching weapon for her individual armor.

"You keep it, it's a gift from me." Nicole smiled at Qin Hao. In her opinion, following Qin Hao with this long knife is more useful than following her.

"Thank you!" Qin Hao was not polite, after all, after receiving the genetic enhancement of the Zerg, this long knife is much better than an electromagnetic rifle in combat.

After a simple farewell, Nicole also entered the landing craft. Although the carrier-based aircraft squadron has cleared the surrounding insect swarms, it is still a risky move to keep the landing craft on the ground, so Nicole cannot delay too long. time.

With the roar of the engine, the landing craft lifted off, and then carried Nicole and Lucia back to the battleship in the orbital space, while Qin Hao needed to continue serving at the forefront.

Due to the carpet bombing of the carrier-based aircraft squadron, the bugs around the Z3 heights were cleaned up, which also gave the 106th Mechanized Infantry Division a rare opportunity to rest. Almost all the soldiers collapsed behind the trenches. For a few days, they fought day and night, and the strings in their minds were about to break. If they couldn't rest, they might really be unable to hold on.

Taking advantage of the rest time, Qin Hao began to replenish his physical strength again. Since the power of the Zerg was stimulated, his appetite was terrifyingly large. Not only did he eat a lot, but he also got hungry easily.

"Kakaka..." Qin Hao quickly gnawed a worm's leg clean, and Qin Hao's hunger finally disappeared.

"Platoon commander, what are you eating?" a soldier came over and asked.

In fact, as soon as Qin Hao came back, many people noticed the package on his back. Because it was too exaggerated to carry worm legs on his back, Qin Hao wrapped them with oilcloth before returning to the Z3 highland, so although outsiders saw Qin Hao's back bulging He was carrying a bunch of things, but no one found that those were actually the calves of giant beetles.

"Yeah, platoon leader, let's order some delicious food." Several veterans didn't see the outside world, and began to ask Qin Hao for food. After all, the rations on the battlefield are all rationed, and it is not easy to get extra meals. .

"Hey? Why do these things look so familiar?" A sharp-eyed soldier saw the carapace that Qin Hao gnawed.

"Why does it look like a bug's carapace?" Others also noticed.

"Boss, aren't you eating worm meat? Is that thing edible?" The soldiers in the guard platoon were all startled.

"Haha..." Qin Hao saw that the fire could no longer be contained in the paper, so he had to open the package, revealing the worm's legs inside.

"Is this thing really edible?" A group of soldiers looked at each other, although Qin Hao was fine, this thing is not acceptable to everyone, even if it is not poisonous, the giant beetle's hideous shape and green mucus are enough to make People are nauseated.

"Frontline Announcement!" At this moment, all the soldiers' battlefield recorders lighted up.

"What's the matter?" Everyone started to check the battlefield recorder.

"According to the latest research in the laboratory, although the blood of giant beetles is highly poisonous, the flesh of their legs only contains a small amount of toxins. As long as they are treated with high temperature, they can be eaten with confidence."

The announcement on the battlefield recorder relieved Qin Hao. In fact, this was also the influence of Nicole and the others after they returned to the battleship.

After Nicole and Lucia returned to the battleship, Lucia inadvertently mentioned Qin Hao eating worm legs, which attracted the attention of the front-line laboratory, so those scientists immediately asked people to collect specimens and then began to study.

Soon, they discovered that the poison of the giant beetle is divided into two levels. One is a strongly corrosive substance, which is mainly concentrated in the blood of the giant beetle.

The other part of the toxin is the neurotoxin, which is found throughout the body of the giant beetle.

The corrosiveness of worm blood is difficult to deal with, because it corrodes everything crazily from the very first contact, but that neurotoxin is actually a specific enzyme, although this poison can kill humans in a short time, but in After high temperature, the activity of the enzyme is destroyed, so it can no longer affect humans.

Finally, after animal experiments, the laboratory confirmed that the worm legs without green worm blood were completely edible after high temperature treatment.

This research result is a major benefit for the frontline troops, because in this way, the supply problem of the frontline can be easily solved. When the supply was dropped by air, food accounted for a large proportion, but now the legs of the bugs can be eaten. , then the focus of airdrops can be placed on weapons and ammunition. As for food, the frontline troops can be completely self-sufficient, and the high-protein worm legs are not only more nutritious than compressed biscuits, but also taste better.

"I'm going! Boss, it turns out that your special forces have long known this!" said several soldiers of the guard platoon.

"Well, yes, haha..." Qin Hao hurriedly got off the slope, and at the same time thanked the frontline laboratory for the timely announcement, otherwise he really couldn't explain it.

...

The tranquility of the Z3 highland lasted all night. This was the night when the soldiers of the 106th Division slept the most peacefully. However, the next morning, most of the soldiers who were still asleep were awakened by the harsh sound of insects.

"what happened!?"

"My God! Where did so many bugs come from!"

"Are these guys dying?"

The soldiers of the 106th Division squatted behind the fortifications and talked a lot, because the heights were already covered with insects at this time, and the number of giant beetles in the mountains and fields exceeded 10,000, and the khaki-colored carapaces were everywhere.

"Everyone cheer up, there may be a fierce battle today!" Officers at all levels have boosted the morale of their troops, and the soldiers have also received double combat rations. Before this kind of war, if the soldiers are not allowed to They're full, they can't take their lives.

"Kaka..." Qin Hao was also lying on the back of a fortification. He chewed on the insect's legs while observing the situation under the high ground. To be honest, he discovered the gathering of insect swarms earlier than others, but these insects He wasn't in a hurry to attack, so he didn't bother other soldiers after reporting the situation to James. After all, ordinary soldiers needed a rest too much.

"The air support will arrive in about half an hour. Let's not panic." James has already made contact with the fleet, and Qin Hao, who is James' personal guard, can hear it clearly.

"Hey! It's another fierce battle!" James sighed as he looked at the insect swarm below the heights.