Bab 19: Chapter 19: Battle of Man and Crab
The beetle, resembling a fighter jet, surged forward with a resounding "buzz."
According to the girl's account, as the number of seabirds diminished, the crabs continued to ascend along the giant rocks. The fish in the sea were both obstacles preventing their departure and allies against the crabs, but they posed no threat to the crabs on land.
With dwindling living space, people followed the seabirds' lead, ascending while launching long-range attacks against the crabs with rudimentary weapons, obstructing their climb onto the rocks. The people divided themselves into several groups, harassing the crabs tirelessly through shifts throughout the night. Despite their limited strength and having only rocks as weapons, the situation was precarious. Now, the island was swarmed with crabs, and whether their efforts, including the duo of Xiao Guang and the girl, would make a difference remained uncertain.
"What are you doing?" The girl noticed Xiao Guang continuously pulling out powdery substances from a pocket, muttering something under his breath, and dispersing them into the air. She inquired, "Are you a magician?"
"Yes," Xiao Guang suddenly adopted a playful tone, perhaps to lighten the weighty topic from earlier and help her relax.
"Huh? Did you learn this in our world? Do we have magic schools now?"
"Yes," Xiao Guang could see the girl turning her head, her slightly chubby face looking charming and full of surprise.
"Can I learn?"
"Yes."
"Will I instantly get it?"
"..."
"It must be quite hard to learn, otherwise, you wouldn't hesitate to answer. Do you have reinforcements?" The girl asked, "And are there others who can ride bugs?"
"As far as I know, no," Xiao Guang replied, "And besides, its name is Dou Dou."
"Dou Dou?" The girl said, "Your naming ability is really poor."
"What's your name?"
"Su Pei! I'm not a bug, don't compare my name to bugs."
"How long have you been riding it?" Seeing Xiao Guang not responding, the girl inquired.
"For about seven or eight months." Simultaneously, Xiao Guang also asked, "Have you noticed that the insects here seem to have longer lifespans? It seems..."
"They can live on indefinitely, right?" the girl chimed in. "Although there are hardly any insects on the rocks, some of our scholars studied aquatic animals. From small fish to crabs, even seaweed, none seem to undergo the typical seasonal changes of growing and withering in a year. Especially those fish and crabs, they seem to have evolved intelligence. Perhaps after living for so long, they've become somewhat spiritual. Although we've only been here for a year, the way these creatures feel..."
"As long as they aren't eaten, they can live on forever," Xiao Guang interjected.
"Yes, yes," the girl said delightedly, "But, in that case, could they really become enlightened?"
This question was largely ignored, except by Xiao Guang, who spent a long time outside, and the imaginative girl. At present, people's energy was focused on survival and continuation. Whether at the base or on the rocks, survival had been the primary concern throughout the year.
"Look, it's right ahead." The girl leaned out to take a look and then turned to Xiao Guang, prompting him. "Over there, just over there. Do you see that black dot?"
"I see it," in the distance, there was a small black dot, standing out on the horizon. From their vantage point, it was the only protrusion above the water's surface.
Xiao Guang urged the beetle, accelerating towards it.
Looking down from above, even though the tide was rising and the tidal flats were submerged, the bottom was still visible. To a human eye, it might have seemed half a meter deep, but for them, it was like diving into a hundred meters of the ocean, with fish swimming within, occasionally glimpses of shrimp and crabs.
From afar, Xiao Guang approached the giant rock with the girl. Although these beetles weren't on the seagulls' menu, when Xiao Guang had reached a certain distance from the rock, he suddenly slowed down, flying parallel to the rock's surface rather than advancing forward.
The girl, seated behind Xiao Guang, was about to ask why, but then she turned her head and witnessed the situation on the rock. Her voice caught in her throat as she saw the densely packed crabs covering the surface, not just one layer, but multiple layers.
"Prepare—" A deep male voice shouted loudly, "Fire!"
"Bam, bam, bam—" Fragments of rock soared into the sky, slicing through the horizon like a perfect arc, before descending like a torrential rain.
"Prepare—" Before the first wave of stones could fall, the bearded man on the rock continued shouting, while voices buzzed below. In groups of two or three, people were frantically engaged in the same task—loading stones.
"Fire—" Another shout came from a distance, and fragments of rock filled the sky again.
Amidst the seemingly chaotic arrangement of giant rocks, some were organized into human-made defense lines. Each line had fifty-seven devices capable of launching projectiles, and these devices propelled the fragments of rock towards the crab horde.
"Ready—ready—fire!" Another line of stones took to the air, some of them notably large.
The falling rocks struck the climbing crabs, causing no substantial harm but startling those hit. They retreated in haste, colliding with other crabs being pushed from behind, resulting in a tangled mess. Some tumbled down the slope like rolling snowballs, dragging more crabs with them into a rolling mass. This cycle continued, ensuring the humans' steadfast defense.
Once hit, most crabs fled in panic, retreating down the giant rock, leading to widespread confusion. Only after a long time did their instincts prompt them to start climbing again. However, the multitude of crabs at the bottom was so dense that every crab was pushed upward. Those that rolled down ended up in the water, only to climb back up again, repeating the process.
A few especially small crabs managed to evade the falling stones and were about to breach the first line of defense. No one could predict what they would do once they broke through.
"Ready—ready—ready—" The bearded man at the first defense line grew increasingly tense as the crabs drew closer.
"Advance in formation—" With the crabs within fifteen steps, the bearded man shouted.
"Charge—" A group of humans, wearing armor made from shells, yelled as they raised long spears, fashioned from shells and feathers. Five of them formed a team and suddenly burst out from a natural trench in the lower terrain, charging towards the crabs in a neat formation.
The startled crabs were suddenly faced with humans in front of them. These humans showed no mercy, wielding their weapons and targeting the most vulnerable parts of the crabs—the eyes and mouthparts. Except for a few crabs that managed to deflect one or two spears with their claws, most were struck. The crabs quickly retreated, clattering away.
"Ready—fire!" The bearded man in the distance ordered, launching another barrage of rocks. The wounded crabs withdrew, and the impact of the stones on their hard shells echoed like applause.
"Rear ranks, advance!" Another team commander shouted from afar.
The human teams continued their staggered assault—rear ranks becoming front ranks, front ranks becoming rear ranks—striking again, and then shifting their positions, methodically reclaiming their territory.
At first glance, it seemed that the humans were gaining the upper hand, launching a successful counteroffensive from the high ground. Yet, upon closer observation, it was evident that the humans were already at the summit, with no escape route. How much could they reclaim with a few charges?
Xiao Guang immediately noticed two crucial points. First, the crab positions that had just been repelled weren't cleared; crabs remained in the crevices between rocks. Second, while many crabs had been driven back, those who weren't directly hit had more incentive to stay and fill the void, immediately returning. Meanwhile, the humans were growing exhausted.
After a quick scan, Xiao Guang grasped the situation. The girl behind him exclaimed, "Every day during low tide, we reclaim some territory, but each time it's smaller than before. More and more crabs refuse to leave, so our space is shrinking. We've almost reached the top several times now, and these crabs go on a rampage at night."
"Hold on tight." Xiao Guang shouted urgently, the situation demanding attention. Suddenly, he dived, swooping over the closest and largest group of crabs, ascending into the air before swooping downward. Within arm's reach of the crab swarm, with a motion too swift for the girl to follow, Xiao Guang swiftly pulled a bow and arrow from a pouch mounted on the beetle. Drawing the bow with a sword-like elegance, he let loose the arrow with a swoosh, and the arrow hit the largest crab with a bang, emitting a faint smoke. The giant crab seemed momentarily stunned before resuming its previous action, brandishing its large pincers and heading uphill.
"To scare away crabs of this caliber, you'd need big chunks of rock hitting them," the girl reminded Xiao Guang from behind.
No sooner had the girl finished speaking, the massive crab that had been frolicking suddenly froze in place. The crabs behind it immediately overtook it, and a human-operated large-scale catapult had it in its sights.
The giant crab began spinning in place like a lunatic, causing a cluster of crabs to lose their balance. Then, as if poisoned, it leaped, exhibiting extreme stamina and speed. Anything in its path was effortlessly tossed aside. Like a berserk green giant, it flung over a dozen crabs, continuing until it charged into a swarm of crabs. There, it struggled wildly, dragging the tangled mass of crabs—a cacophony of limbs and claws—into the sea. Xiao Guang paused only after accurately striking several more crabs. What followed was a mesmerizing cascade of falling crabs.
Xiao Guang hovered above the crab swarm like a fighter jet, and those in the distance were naturally captivated by this miraculous sight. Since the girl knew Xiao Guang's story, others in the crowd were also informed, with some eagle-eyed observers even spotting the girl on the insect. The excitement grew as people began shouting.
The bearded fighters, skilled in combat, seized the opportunity. They yelled, "Spearmen, charge!"
"Trebuchets, fire!"
"Advance in formation—"
"Full team, advance—"
Commands rang out everywhere. The densely packed crowd wielded long spears and carried trebuchets, moving forward to claim their positions. Having battled in this confined land for a year, they knew every cave, every strategic point—repeatedly gaining and losing ground, they cherished every opportunity.
"Over here!"
"Over here!"
"Over here!"
After a moment of astonishment, the girl immediately took on the task of selecting unfortunate crabs. Given her familiarity with crabs, Xiao Guang trusted her judgement, accurately shooting each arrow according to her guidance.
Draw, aim, fire! Draw, aim, fire! Mechanically yet intently, Xiao Guang repeated the actions, launching over a dozen times.
The crabs on Crab Island couldn't withstand repeated cascades, especially since this also affected the crabs attempting to climb ashore from the water. More crabs fell back, causing a collective retreat of crabs, regardless of size. Unlike the initial human counterattack, which required meticulous clearing of stubborn crabs from crevices, this time, all of them fled.
The islanders' counterattack instantly allowed them to regain control of the top fifth of the territory within an hour. But their stamina was spent, and Xiao Guang started to ascend, heading towards the summit of Crab Island. There, he saw a group of people—likely the highest command within the crowd.
"Halt the attack—"
"Prepare the reserve for defense—"
"Ladder units, retreat—"
"Clean up the area—"
Commands echoed, and human forces that had been advancing began to retreat. At the same time, they had time to look to the sky, where Xiao Guang and the girl were flying towards the peak. There, a group of people watched them with anticipation.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone