Chapter Twenty-Seven: Battle

As Li Qingsong experimented with various combat tactics, he would immediately discard any that proved ineffective, shifting his focus to new approaches. Consequently, a steady stream of experience in cold-weapon team combat was generated. Through Li Qingsong’s conscious control, this knowledge was synchronized instantaneously across every clone, including those currently traveling by train to the copper mine base. Although over a hundred thousand other clones were engaged in different tasks or resting, within just a few hours, they, too, possessed a wealth of cold-weapon combat experience.

Thus, the clones defending Copper Mine Base No. 1 quickly formed the most effective combat formation tested. By this time, reinforcements from the main base had arrived by train. A large number of fully armed clones disembarked and integrated into the layered battle formation. In an instant, the defensive force at the copper mine surged to 3,500 men.

The formation was exceptionally dense. The core facilities of the mine—a pit, mining and crushing equipment, ore processing machinery, an auxiliary power plant, a dock, and living quarters—occupied an area of only a few tens of thousands of square meters. One side was bordered by a canyon, requiring no defense. The total length of the front line needing protection was no more than a few hundred meters.

Along a front of several hundred meters, at most a thousand men could engage in combat simultaneously. Li Qingsong designated the remaining armed clones as a reserve force. Whenever a clone fell on the front line, Li Qingsong’s consciousness link immediately shifted to a reserve clone, allowing them to step up instantly and maintain constant strength on the line.

Hours passed in tense anticipation. As the ground began to tremble slightly, a dark shadow emerged in the light of the floodlamps. Li Qingsong knew these were not shadows, but a swarm of strange birds. Their numbers were so vast they blotted out the ground. Li Qingsong immediately diverted consciousness links from non-essential production tasks at the main base, connecting one thousand of them to the armed clones on the front line.

With a silent roar, the swarm sensed the abundance of fresh, delicious prey and charged. The clones stood their ground, and the two forces collided.

In an instant, dozens of fully armed clones were sent flying, bitten and torn apart mid-air, or trampled to death upon falling into the swarm. Those who survived simply stood up and threw themselves back into the fray without hesitation. Countless spears thrust and stabbed, heavy blades swung down, and rows of shields were raised high, desperately deflecting attacks for themselves and their comrades. The battlefield became a chaotic scene of flying flesh and blood.

Li Qingsong maintained intense focus, controlling all 1,000 frontline combatants without a moment of respite. Under his command, the clones’ coordination was perfect. Every spear thrust, every blade strike, and every shield raise was synchronized and fluid. Whenever a frontline clone fell, a fully armed reserve clone stood up and joined the front line without hesitation. The adjustments were orderly, as if rehearsed thousands of times, without a single error. No matter which reserve clone was called upon, they integrated into the battle instantly, working in perfect harmony with their comrades.

Even so, the pressure was immense. The creatures were massive, possessing strength far superior to that of a human. Occasionally, some birds would briefly take flight; though they could not fly far and resembled jumping more than true flight, they still caused trouble. Whenever this happened, Li Qingsong had to divert more consciousness links to the area, controlling more clones to neutralize the threat. On average, even with their perfect coordination and the constant accumulation of combat techniques synchronized across the swarm, it cost three clones’ lives to kill a single bird.

"It is a pity I have no time to construct fortifications to hold these monsters back," Li Qingsong thought to himself. "To protect the base, I have no choice but to fight in the open. But it does not matter—look at the explosives!"

A clone, acting like a suicide bomber, rushed out clutching a large satchel of explosives and hurled it like a grenade. Because the gravity on the planet Luoshen was so low, the package flew over a hundred meters before detonating with a roar. In an instant, four or five birds were shattered, their remains sent flying into the sky.

As the earth trembled, explosion after explosion tore through the swarm, shattering bird after bird. The number of clones dwindled, but with the addition of explosives and the constant replenishment from the reserves, the front line held firm.

While the battle at Copper Mine No. 1 raged, clones at other mineral bases stood ready. Back at the main base, numerous steel mills and metal smelters continued production with frantic intensity. After days of integration, Li Qingsong’s production rate for cold-weapon sets had increased to an average of 3,000 per day.

In the dormitories, clones rose under Li Qingsong’s control, spiritedly leaving to collect full equipment sets from the supply depot before rushing to the front. The depot held little stock, maintaining only about two hundred sets. At the current rate of consumption, it seemed the supply would soon be exhausted. However, this did not happen. Thanks to the relentless production of dozens of factories, fresh gear was constantly arriving. As one clone took a set, a new one arrived to replace it. With this constant inflow and outflow, the inventory remained steady between 150 and 200 sets.

Clones who secured their gear boarded trains in an orderly fashion, racing to the next base threatened by the birds. Upon arrival, they rested temporarily. Meanwhile, Li Qingsong’s consciousness link would disconnect and shift back to the main base, controlling the steady stream of armed clones as they departed to reinforce the defenses of other bases.