Chapter 323: Don't Even Think About Taking a Single Drop of Biomass
With no orbital defense facilities to strike the bio-ships, the Tyranids dropped their forces in a relatively dispersed pattern. The Hive Mind needed to collect the planet's biomass as quickly as possible. The sky-blotting rain of spore-pods was a sight that would strike terror into any race.
Except, apparently, the Zerg. Blotting out the sky? That's just a regular Tuesday for us!
On the ground, which had previously been nothing but writhing Creep, a vast number of Spore Crawlers, acting as anti-air batteries, suddenly extended their maws from the biological carpet. Volley after volley of acid was spat at the descending spore-pods. The acid accurately struck the falling units, which had no defenses and could not maneuver. The outer shells of the spore-pods were corroded away, and the flightless Tyranid creatures within plummeted from an altitude of ten thousand meters. At that height, no amount of vitality could save them.
The Tyranid corpses that splattered into chunks of meat on the ground were immediately absorbed by the Creep.
When the attack began, the Tyranids did not immediately realize the severity of the problem. The nature of the Spore Crawlers led them to believe they were just part of the planet's native flora and fauna.
When a large number of Gargoyles and Zoanthropes dived down from the clouds in an attempt to destroy the ground-based Spore Crawlers, the hidden Mutalisks, Devourers, Scourge, and various other Zerg air units rose to meet them.
Two walls of flesh collided in the skies of Iphix. The bodies of both sides rained down from above. No matter how hard they tried, the Tyranid flying units could not break through the Zerg's blockade.
But in the calculations of the Hive Mind, these initial losses were acceptable. Compared to the biomass that would be gained after conquering the planet, these losses were negligible. More and more flying units were produced, and more and more spore-pods began to fall towards the ground.
During the battle, the Tyranids were constantly learning the combat characteristics of the Zerg, developing more effective combat methods and tactics. Both the Zerg and the Tyranids were continuously learning and improving.
As the number of deployed troops continued to increase, a portion of the landing forces finally managed to reach the planet's surface. The Tyranid units were eager to begin devouring the Creep before them. The Tyranids wanted to make back the losses they had suffered in the sky on the ground.
But as soon as they tried to establish their Capillary Towers, they realized something was wrong. The towers, rooted in the ground, simply would not grow. It was as if their very foundation had been completely cut off. When the Tyranids discovered that it was the Creep beneath their feet that was absorbing all the nutrients the towers needed and tried to destroy it, the attack from underground began.
Countless sharp spines erupted from the ground without warning, piercing through the heads of the Tyranid creatures. The Lurkers, hidden beneath the Creep and soil, were firing their spines through the ground to attack the enemy, just like a Hydralisk. And then, the countless Zerg ground units that had been hidden beneath the Creep burst forth.
The Creep allowed the Zerg to have a complete grasp of the Tyranid creatures' movements and numbers, allowing them to attack from the most advantageous directions. When these ground units all appeared, the Hive Mind finally realized that this planet was a trap that had been designed for them. The entire planet was erupting with biological signals that had previously been undetected.
The Zerg's numerical advantage and combat strength meant that the landing Tyranid forces could not organize any effective defense or offense. Here on Iphix, no matter how many Zerg the Tyranids killed, it was a wasted effort. They could not take back any biomass. The bodies of both friend and foe on the battlefield were absorbed by the Creep before the Tyranids had a chance to recover them for their digestion pools. They could only watch as the corpses melted completely into the Creep.
The Hive Mind roared in fury. That's MY biomass! Give it back!
Tyranid biomass was exceptionally pure. For the Zerg, it provided an extra amount of resources.
Under the Hive Mind's interference, the scattered Tyranid forces began to try and gather in sufficient numbers. The Hive Mind had not expected such a strong ground presence, and so it had not created any powerful ground units. But for the eagerly-waiting Zagara, the concentrating Tyranid forces were the best thing she could have asked for.
The Nydus Worms that were spread all over the planet became the Zerg forces' most convenient teleporters. Compared to long-range troop transport, the cost of intra-planetary transport was almost negligible. Zagara, leading her sea of Banelings, had already arrived at the Tyranids' rallying point via Nydus Worm.
Relying on their numbers, the Tyranids were trying to release spore clouds and establish Capillary Towers and digestion pools. But this dense formation made Zagara ecstatic. She commanded her Banelings to roll directly into the Tyranid concentration. There was no strategy, only pure numbers. The Tyranids tried to attack the incoming Banelings, but there were simply too many.
Zagara, too, shifted her massive body and charged into the Tyranid swarm. A clustered swarm was the best target for Banelings. And at the same time, dozens of Brutalisks erupted from the ground in the heart of the Tyranid rear. These killing machines directed all their attacks at the Tyranids' synapse creatures.
With most of the synapse creatures dead, the well-ordered Tyranid creatures reverted to beasts following their primal instincts. When the last Tyranid on the planet's surface was killed, Abathur and Zagara could only say, "Any biomass you can't take with you is mine!"
They had been worried about the slow pace of resource collection. This gift of resources from the Tyranids was almost more than the total they had gathered since arriving on this planet.
The battle had only just begun, and the Hive Mind was already feeling the pain. It had lost so many troops, and in return, it hadn't brought back a single drop of biomass. What was supposed to be a delicious meal had suddenly turned into an incredibly tough bone. A bone that could even bite back.
In the first round of clashes, both sides had lost hundreds of millions of troops. On the surface, the Zerg had also suffered considerable losses, and the casualty ratio seemed to be about even. But in terms of actual gains, the Zerg's losses were approximately zero. In fact, they had profited greatly. With this biomass, Abathur began to produce more Zerg units. Even the number of Brutalisks had increased.
As long as he was on Iphix, Abathur had no intention of letting them take a single drop of biomass!
The first clash between the Tyranids and the Zerg in this universe ended in a complete victory for the Zerg.
Seeing the Zerg's combat strength, the Hive Mind no longer prepared for a conventional invasion. Instead, it began to produce even more powerful Tyranid units within its bio-ships, waiting for more of its fleet to arrive. One by one, giant Tyranid creatures were being produced.
Although this wave of ground units had been completely wiped out, it had sent back important intelligence. The properties of the Creep were now known to the Tyranids, and they now had a concept of the Zerg's combat strength. For the Tyranids, this planet was no longer just about biomass. Abathur craved the Tyranids' genes, and the Hive Mind had now begun to crave the Zerg's genes. For example, the Creep. If it could obtain the ability to create Creep, the speed at which the Tyranids could devour biomass would be much faster.
This prompted the Hive Mind to gather more bio-ships and move them towards Iphix. The bio-fleet that had been originally sent to attack Laesos began to split off and head for Iphix. This caused the pressure on the humans on Laesos to drop sharply. The humans and the Battle Sisters on the planet watched in disbelief as a large number of the Hive Fleet ships began to leave their planet's orbit. But no matter what, their chances of survival were now much greater. Even the Tyranid forces that had already landed had slowed their advance. They were now occupying the oceans and absorbing the biomass within. This biomass would be sent back to the fleet to be invested in the war against the Zerg.
Admiral Justus was observing the Hive Fleet over Iphix with his augur arrays from a distance. The Tyranid fleet had not chosen to pursue them. Instead, they had all stopped in orbit above Iphix. He couldn't understand what on this planet was attracting the Tyranids enough for them to give up the chase. But he had also noticed that Iphix was different now. The entire color of the planet had changed. Anyone with eyes could see it.
Just as he was pondering his next move, the Gorgon transports that were with his fleet sent a communication to his warship. Lucan had given him a new order.
The Tyranids were collecting the biomass on Laesos. Lucan needed Justus and his fleet to intercept and harass the Tyranid bio-ships that were transporting this biomass. While ensuring his own survival, whether he delayed them or destroyed them, it was what Lucan needed right now. This would reduce the pressure on the Zerg on Iphix.
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