Human Genius? Sorry, I’m a Deviant-Chapter 200: Outpost

Five people quickly entered the outpost interior.
The space felt even tighter and more oppressive than it looked from the outside, filled with the mixed smells of machine oil, sweat, and tobacco.
The main facilities were a circular combat post surrounded by firing ports and observation windows.
An alarm sensing system.
And a makeshift rest area in the corner.
“According to the plan, you four each watch southeast, southwest, northwest, and northeast respectively. I’ll adapt as things happen.”
Su Zhan issued the order quickly.
As the squad’s de facto captain, nobody objected to his arrangement.
The four immediately took the best observation positions in each direction.
Through reinforced glass and rifle scopes,
they stared hard at the limited dark areas illuminated by the searchlights outside.
Su Zhan stood by the alarm, sweeping his gaze in all directions.
Time crawled slowly in the tension and monotonous waiting.
After about an hour,
everything remained normal.
That quietness only served to breed anxiety.
Liu Ziming couldn’t stand the silence. He lowered his voice and said to Xie Xi, “Hey, Miss Xie, didn’t you say your parents had you on the battlefield before? Ever done night watch at an outpost?”
“No.”
Xie Xi didn’t look away. “Stay alert and quiet. Don’t get distracted.”
Liu Ziming’s attempt at banter fell flat; he puckered his lips.
He glanced at Feng Jue, motionless like a stone statue, and at Xu Hao, who looked a bit nervous.
He figured trying to talk to them would be pointless.
In the end, he aimed at Su Zhan standing in the center. “Brother Su… this place is way too quiet, right? Quiet to the point of being creepy. Think those Mist Creatures will pull something big?”
Su Zhan’s gaze remained fixed outside the window. “Stay vigilant. Don’t imagine the worst. First night on watch and this happens? We’re not that unlucky.”
“Oh…”
Liu Ziming swallowed and forced himself to focus.
After a while, he seemed to find a new topic and turned to Xu Hao. “Haozi, you cold? I’ve got a high-calorie energy bar. Want one?”
Xu Hao was intently watching outside; the offer startled him and he shook his head hurriedly. “N…no, I’m not hungry. Keep your voice down…”
Liu Ziming sighed and finally shut up.
Silence settled over the cramped outpost again.
Suspended on the edge of danger, the outpost was filled with an omnipresent, suffocating tension.
Every minute and second tested their nerves.
“Woooo—wooo—wooo—”
The alarm blared suddenly with no warning!
A faint dot flickered at the edge of the screen!
“Something’s happening!”
Su Zhan’s voice thundered through the outpost.
Everyone snapped into combat posture!
“Southeast! Distance about one hundred and fifty meters! Slowly approaching!”
Su Zhan ordered. “Searchlight!”
Xu Hao immediately swung the searchlight that way, sweeping back and forth.
Everyone held their breath.
“Got it!”
Feng Jue’s eyes sharpened as he snarled.
At the edge of the beam, behind a pile of broken rocks, several hunched black shapes were clumsily moving.
Startled by the sudden light, they lifted their heads, alert.
They moved on all fours like hyenas, faces feral, fangs bared.
“Corrupt Claw Beasts! About four or five!”
Xie Xi identified the targets quickly.
Knowing the species and their number eased everyone’s minds a bit, but they still couldn’t afford any slack—these things had poisonous claws and liked to ambush!
“Focus on killing the ones in front! Feng Jue, watch the flank!”
Su Zhan gave a decisive order.
Time Abyss Pupil flickered faintly, instantly locking onto their movement and quietly applying a weak deceleration field over them.
“Leave it to me!”
Liu Ziming struck first. He rubbed his hands together and a blinding flash of Purple Thunder erupted, instantly bridging the distance and blasting the lead Corrupt Claw Beast!
“Kra-thoom!”
The beast was electrocuted black and shattered, smoking as it collapsed!
Almost simultaneously,
Xu Hao disappeared and reappeared with a blink, now at the side-rear of another Corrupt Claw Beast, his two daggers crossing in slashing arcs!
“Ssht!”
The beast’s skull separated from its body in an instant, filthy blood spraying!
Xie Xi’s Destruction Scythe cleaved through the third Corrupt Claw Beast along with the rock it had been hiding under, slicing both in two as if cutting tofu!
Feng Jue’s sword light flashed; the Corrupt Claw Beast that had leapt was cleaved mid-air, its body split into two halves!
From start to finish, the fight lasted only two or three seconds.
Outside the outpost lay several shattered corpses and the smell of charred flesh.
The light dot on the alarm screen vanished.
Xu Hao’s figure reappeared inside the outpost.
Liu Ziming shook his hands and grinned. “Ha, low-risk fourth-tier strength—pathetic…”
Xie Xi let her Destruction Scythe fade. “After all, low-level Mist Creatures.”
Feng Jue silently sheathed his sword.
Su Zhan scanned the dark area outside the window. “Don’t relax. Keep guarding.”
Two hours passed in relative calm.
Just when everyone thought their shift would end,
“Woooo—wooo—wooo—!!!”
The alarm emitted an even more piercing shriek than before!
The screen filled with red dots rapidly expanding, coming from the same direction!
“Raid! Large number of targets approaching! Moving fast!”
Xu Hao’s voice shot up.
Everyone instantly moved into maximum combat readiness!
Su Zhan rushed to the observation port first.
In the distant darkness, a black tide surged forward—far more numerous than before!
Their shapes resembled massively enlarged corpse beetles.
Their shells were twisted and mutated, bearing six pairs of sharp segmented limbs, crawling at high speed. Their mandibles opened and closed; their compound eyes flashed bloodthirsty light in the dark.
“Infestant Bone Shell Beetles! Watch for their acidic spray! Their shell fronts are extremely hard!”
Su Zhan ed quickly.
He’d learned about these Mist Creatures at Vermilion Bird Academy; they were far tougher than Corrupt Claw Beasts!
Their threat level ranged from low-risk to medium-risk.
In the blink of an eye,
the vanguard of the insect tide had rushed into the searchlight’s range!
“Fight!”
Su Zhan roared.
Liu Ziming’s hands crackled with thunder as thick strands of Purple Thunder slammed into the densest part of the swarm!
Explosions rocked; several Bone Shell Beetles were electrocuted until their shells blackened and they toppled, but still more charged on, fearless!
Xie Xi swung her huge scythe fiercely.
Where the dark red blade passed, three or four Bone Shell Beetles were bisected at the waist.
Feng Jue unleashed a wave of sword qi with the Startling Swan Sword.
But when his blade struck the beetles’ heavy carapaces, sparks flew—only deep gouges were left, and they didn’t drop instantly!
Xu Hao blink-stepped out of the outpost and skirted the swarm, using his daggers to exploit the joints between the beetles’ legs or attack soft spots on their bellies.
He didn’t dare go too deep; it was far too risky!
Su Zhan’s Time Abyss Pupil cast a wide deceleration.
There were too many Bone Shell Beetles. Though each individual wasn’t strong, their reckless forward pressure was relentless.
They repeatedly slammed into the outpost’s outer wall and firing ports, banging loudly!
Occasionally a beetle succeeded in spraying sickly green acid, splashing onto the concrete wall and instantly hissing as it corroded and white smoke rose!
“Too many! We can’t kill them all!”
Liu Ziming shouted anxiously as he pumped out thunder. His lightning hit hard but drained him fast.
“Conserve spirit power! Aim for weak points!”
Xie Xi panted as she swung the giant scythe; her area attacks were most effective but demanded the most energy.
Feng Jue remained silent, his sword light growing ever more ruthless, but he clearly couldn’t cover every direction either.
“Xu Hao, come back! Feng Jue, left flank! Liu Ziming, suppress on the right! Xie Xi, clear the front with me!”
Su Zhan issued commands.
He surged more spirit power into his body.
Time Abyss Pupil—wide deceleration!
A powerful field spread outward from him, and the Bone Shell Beetles charging the front slowed abruptly!
This was the dramatic effect that Stream Realm’s greater spirit power and superior spirit power quality could achieve compared to Dew Realm!