Chapter 753: Combating the Nydus Worm
"Warning! Massive subterranean biological signal detected!" Matt's voice came from orbit. "It's moving toward the position of the second strongpoint!"
"It's a Nydus Worm!" Raynor realized instantly. "Everyone, scatter! Prepare for an underground assault!"
Before the words fully left his mouth, the ground at the designated location for the strongpoint exploded violently. A massive Nydus Worm, over three meters in diameter, burst from the soil. Its gaping maw was filled with razor-sharp teeth as it let out a deafening screech!
The appearance of the Nydus Worm instantly disrupted their deployment plan.
Its massive, writhing body swatted away the newly placed bunker modules, while dozens of Zerglings spewed from its mouth, landing directly in the middle of the engineering team!
"Open fire! Aim for its mouth!" Raynor roared, firing his Punisher grenade launcher continuously into the worm's gaping maw.
The Marines and Marauders poured their firepower onto the Nydus Worm's thick chitinous carapace, but the effect was limited.
The outer shell of this colossal unit was incredibly hard, making it difficult for light weapons to deal lethal damage.
"We need heavy firepower!" Tychus's voice suddenly crackled over the comms, accompanied by fierce gunfire—he had arrived at the residential district and was assisting in the defense.
"Jimmy, use the air-to-ground missiles on the dropships! Or get the Hyperion to launch an orbital strike!"
"No! We'll hit the civilians!" Raynor fired while retreating, dodging the massive body of the worm as it swept across the area.
Valerie rapidly analyzed the physiological data of the Nydus Worm.
The scans provided by the Eternal Seeker indicated that the weakest point of its carapace was the joint of the upper jaw inside its mouth, but it required a precise shot.
"A3, A4, switch to armor-piercing rounds. Aim for the upper jaw area inside the target's mouth," she ordered calmly.
The two "Security Consultants" immediately adjusted their firing modes.
They swapped to specialized magazines in their bolters, raised their muzzles slightly, and took aim at the frantically writhing Nydus Worm.
"Fire."
Two muffled explosive cracks rang out.
The specialized armor-piercing rounds tore through the air, shooting precisely into the Nydus Worm's open mouth and striking the joint between its upper jaw and carapace.
Thick green blood erupted like a geyser.
The Nydus Worm let out a piercing shriek of agony. Its massive body convulsed violently before crashing to the ground, kicking up a massive cloud of dust and creep fragments.
The Swarm's offensive stalled for a moment.
"Beautiful shot!" Raynor immediately seized the opportunity. "Swann, keep deploying those bunkers! Hurry!"
The SCV engineering mechs moved forward again, beginning to weld the bunker modules. Auto-turrets were swiftly installed.
"Second strongpoint under construction! Estimated completion time: ten minutes!" Swann reported.
At the same time, a message from Tychus came from the direction of the residential district: "Found Dr. Hanson! The defensive line is holding, but the civilians are panicking. We're already organizing them for extraction."
"But there's a problem—not enough transport vehicles. Most of the colony's transports were destroyed by the bugs. Only five are left running, and they're low on fuel."
Raynor looked at the map. From the residential district to the starport was a distance of three kilometers. If they relied solely on walking, the civilian casualty rate under the Swarm's siege would be extremely high.
"Matt, scan the residential district, confirm the location and status of the transport vehicles," he ordered.
A few seconds later, Matt replied: "Confirmed five colonial transports, concentrated in the central garage of the residential district. Vehicle structures are mostly intact, but energy readings are very low. Also, the Zerg density around the garage is quite high."
"We need to send people to get the vehicles and escort them back to the residential area." Raynor thought quickly. "Tychus, can you spare some men to do this?"
"I'm under a lot of pressure here too!" Tychus roared. "Bugs keep pouring in from all sides! I can't spare many men!"
Raynor looked at the second strongpoint currently being established. If he split his forces here to retrieve the vehicles, it might weaken the defensive strength of the line.
At this moment, Valerie spoke up: "Commander Raynor, I can lead my security squad to the residential district garage to acquire the transports. We have experience dealing with heavy units and possess high mobility."
Raynor looked at her, hesitated for a second, then nodded: "Fine. But be extremely careful. Once you have the vehicles, drive them straight back to the residential district and hand them over to Tychus. We will ensure the corridor is secure."
"Understood." Valerie turned to A5 beside her. "Notify A1 through A4, mission change. Objective: Residential district garage. Acquire and escort the transport vehicles. We will rendezvous at the garage."
"Yes, ma'am." A5 immediately relayed the order to the other four "Security Consultants."
Valerie nodded at Raynor, then quickly left the control room with A5, sprinting toward the north gate of the starport.
The built-in enhancement systems in her combat suit provided a certain boost to her speed and stamina, allowing her to keep pace with the power-armored warriors.
The two passed through the newly established first strongpoint and moved rapidly along the cleared corridor.
There were still scattered Zerg units along the way, but A5 picked them off with precision.
Ten minutes later, they arrived at the outskirts of the residential district. The fighting here was even more intense.
Tychus's squad and the surviving colonial guards were building defensive lines around several buildings, fending off the Swarm's assaults.
Civilians hid inside the buildings, watching the battle outside with terror through the windows.
Valerie did not linger. Following the map's instructions, she bypassed the main battlefield and moved toward the garage.
The garage was located in the southeast corner of the residential district and was a semi-underground structure.
Just as the scan had shown, a large number of Zerglings and Hydralisks were gathered around it. The silhouettes of several transport vehicles were faintly visible, but the entrance was blocked by the Swarm.
"A1 through A4 in position, clearing enemies at the garage entrance," a report came over the comms channel.
Valerie saw that the four "Security Consultants" had already approached the garage from the other side and were using heavy firepower to clear the Zerg at the entrance. Their efficiency was high, and they quickly carved out a bloody path.
"A5, cover me." Valerie charged toward the garage entrance.
A5 followed closely, his bolter firing continuously, shredding the Zerglings attempting to close in.
The two rushed into the garage. The interior was dim, with only emergency lights flickering. Five large transport vehicles were parked there, sustaining varying degrees of damage to their chassis, but appearing drivable. Several colonial mechanics were hiding behind the vehicles and looked both surprised and overjoyed upon seeing Valerie enter.
"Are you Raynor's people?" one mechanic asked, trembling.
"Yes. We need these vehicles, now." Valerie quickly checked the control panel of the nearest vehicle—the energy was indeed very low, but sufficient to reach the center of the residential district.
"Fuel is low, but we should be able to make it to the rally point," the mechanic said. "We can start the vehicles, but we need cover..."
"Start all the vehicles. Follow behind us," Valerie commanded, simultaneously ordering the "Security Consultants" outside. "A1, A2, clear the path ahead. A3, A4, cover the rear. A5, flank guard."
The engines of the transport vehicles started one after another, emitting low rumbles. The garage doors slowly opened.
"Move out!"