Chapter 483: A Plan
It was a Burrowing Worm from the Swarm!
The driver of the sixth assault vehicle had no time to react. At a speed exceeding 300 kilometers per hour, the vehicle crashed directly into the massive body of the Burrowing Worm. The immense recoil left the Daqi passengers with no time to feel pain—they were launched into the air and killed instantly.
The Burrowing Worm let out a sharp screech. However, with its thick hide and a metallic layer excreted from its body—formed by digesting and expelling consumed metal—it absorbed the impact with its soft inner body, dissipating the force. Although the collision left it momentarily uncomfortable, it suffered no significant damage.
The seventh assault vehicle followed closely behind. Despite the driver’s desperate attempts to brake, the short stopping distance meant the vehicle also crashed into the Burrowing Worm.
Due to its slower speed and the military-grade build of interstellar vehicles, most of the passengers survived the collision. Only the unlucky gunner manning the heavy machine gun on the roof was flung from his position, breaking his neck upon impact and dying instantly.
The remaining survivors were far from unscathed. Blood oozed from their orifices, their bodies twisted unnaturally, and bones pierced through their protective suits. Their anguished groans filled the air. Compared to the sixth vehicle’s passengers, it was debatable whether their fate was any better.
The eighth assault vehicle, given more time to react, managed to stop just short of a collision. The Daqi soldiers aboard, visibly shaken by the carnage ahead, couldn’t help but feel both relief and dread at their close call.
Behind the assault vehicles were nearly ten transport vehicles. Traveling at slower speeds, they had more time to react and stopped safely before reaching the blockage.
However, seeing the devastation wrought on the vehicles ahead, some of the Daqi passengers began screaming in terror, while others felt a morbid sense of satisfaction. To them, the combat squads in the lead had seemingly been trying to abandon them moments earlier.