Under the lead of the ghost ships, the bug nests could easily break through the defenses of their own battleships and appear in their vicinity in an instant.

After self-detonation, a large number of bugs landed on the surface of the battleships. At this point, no weapon was of use!

They were like pirates from the sailing era, boarding the ship forcibly, and the only way to deal with this tactic was to rely on their own crew!

Even if the battleships were equipped with spacesuits, could humans move as swiftly in space as those bugs?

Raine quickly identified a problem. He looked through the window at the latest bug nest explosion.

Numbers 14, 15, and 8 were the primary targets of the bugs, with many bug nests detonating in the vicinity of these battleships.

After these nests exploded, they released a strange smoke, which quickly spread out after a dozen or so nests exploded, enveloping the surrounding area of the target carrier.

If the bug nests were only for deploying bugs, they wouldn't have to self-destruct. But every bug nest chose to self-destruct, it was probably not just for quickly releasing bugs.

Moreover, those nests did not attack other battleships!

"Why would such an effective tactic only target three battleships?" Raine squinted his eyes, "Fifteen bug nests explode, and the gas released just covers a battleship. Without enough gas from the bug nests, the bugs can't move swiftly, so they don't launch attacks on other battleships!"

Raine quickly moved to the number 8 battleship, which was heavily covered with bugs.

"System, inspect the gas structure outside the battleship."

[Inspecting…]

[The density and composition of the air are similar to the earth's atmosphere, and there is also a gravitational field, the gravity is 1.12 times that of the earth!]

Raine instantly understood, the bugs' attack method combined biological individual attacks with some high technology!

They created a suitable environment for survival and activity around the battleship through the self-explosion of the bug nests. These bugs could only move freely and flexibly within this space!

"I thought so, even if you're bugs, you can't break the laws of the universe!"

Raine immediately gave the order, "Captains of Battleships 8, 14, and 15, maintain surveillance on the temporary atmospheric layer around your ships. When the temporary atmosphere is present, dispatch crew members to combat the bugs!"

The three battleship captains quickly activated their detection systems and immediately realized the feasibility of leaving the ship.

"Ah, so that's how it is! I thought these bugs had become divine! All crew members other than the gunners, prepare to leave the ship and quickly get rid of these bugs!"

The three Virgo carriers successively opened their hatches, and a large number of crew members poured out.

However, when they stepped out of the ship, they realized that these bugs were not only numerous but also huge, twice as large as an adult human, and extremely agile. Their strength was far beyond ordinary people, their armor was hard, and the sharp spikes on their six legs made them excellent in both offense and defense!

These creatures to slay an average human were likely as straightforward as a man crushing a cockroach on Earth.

It's clear that these members of the insect race were certainly not the bugs found on Earth.

Stone Blast, captain of the 14th battleship, lands a punch on one of these creatures, sending it flying a considerable distance. Yet it quickly rallies and charges back into the fray.

Stone Blast cannot kill one with a single blow in its conventional form!? Yet, he did not recoil. He stands at the forefront of the crew, raising a finger and uttering in a low voice, "Brethren! Behind us lies the planet we all call home! There, countless individuals yearn for our victory against the invaders, longing for our triumphant return! They may be your spouses, your children, your parents, even former rivals or enemies, but we, we are their beacon of hope, the last line of Earth's defense! Should these beasts breach our defenses, our loved ones, our friends, and our homeland, will be no more! Today, we must convey to them!"

"Our families are under our protection, our enemies will be disciplined by us. That place is our territory, not a playground for these vile creatures! Today, if there is a man standing, a ship remains! As long as one of us is still alive, they will not step foot on our territory! If you are a man, slaughter them with me!"

"Guarded by the ancient gods of mankind, Sunseeker!" Upon saying this, Stone Blast's body expands rapidly, having acquired the protection of Sunseeker, he takes the lead, plunging into the insect tide numbering in tens of thousands!

The crew's hearts are inflamed with passion by Stone Blast's words, at this moment, seeing their captain leading by example, their blood is boiling!

"Dream on if you wish to invade Earth! Transform, ancient Triceratops!"

"Transform, prehistoric Giant Bear, roar!"

"Guarding the carrier, guarding the Earth, stake everything!"

On the exterior decks of these three carriers, the most brutal close-quarters combat begins!

The viscera of these insects, mixed with the crew's blood, meld into a singular, gory battleground. Humans and insects alike clash in fierce combat upon the decks of the carriers!

The battle had been underway for an undetermined amount of time.

Raine rapidly traversed between the various battleships, repairing damaged ones while employing the four elemental shields to protect the ships from targeted enemy fire.

Eighteen carriers and numerous enemy vessels engage in stationary turret warfare. Both sides' main cannons temporarily cool down, but a plethora of missiles bombard both fleets, a myriad of sparks lighting up the entire battlefield.

Nearly a hundred thousand interstellar fighter planes weave swiftly within the expanse, countless laser cannons and explosions fill the entire space.

On the exterior decks of at least five battleships, the crew, led by the captains and vice-captains, were locked in fierce melee combat with an overwhelming number of insectoids.

The human crew members transformed into various forms, unleashing an array of skills. Yet the insect race's numbers are vast, charging continuously forward, leading to a bitter and intense confrontation...

At this moment, everyone was exerting their full strength to combat this so-called Apocalypse!

"Hold on, we must hold on!" Avril snatched a glance at the battlefield during a brief respite.

They had decimated a significant number of enemy vessels, but the bounty group could not afford a single lapse in concentration. Every unit was operational. The collapse of any single element could lead to the disintegration of their defensive line!

Ten minutes, twenty minutes, half an hour!

Including the initial battle, the bounty group had already endured for forty-five minutes.

Avril, wielding level-two authorization, took stock of their current situation.

In terms of battleships, they had annihilated 49 enemy vessels, and 75 enemy nests had self-destructed, resulting in the loss of nearly half of the enemy's carriers. Five of their own carriers were currently incapacitated due to insectoid attacks. Additionally, four were severely damaged and had temporarily cloaked to retreat from the battlefield, waiting for Raine's repairs. No battleship had been destroyed.

In the realm of warplanes, their 18,000 Star Shuttle Fighters staunchly held off 61000 enemy fighters. Currently, they had lost 8,200 of their own, while the enemy had 33,000 destroyed!

The attrition ratio of both sides' fighters reached 1 to 4! Under such adverse conditions, their pilots exceeded their mission objectives!

However, in terms of close combat, a terrifying statistic emerged. On the five battleships infiltrated by the insect race, 4,300 crew members were sacrificed!

One battleship is equipped with 2,500 people, 1,000 of which are gunners and fighter pilots. The five battleships had a combatant count of 7,500! And now, more than half had been lost!