The bark of this tree is extremely rough, with knobby fibrous growths making it uneven. Fortunately, the tree is thick and sturdy, allowing both of them to completely hide behind it and peek out on either side to observe the scene ahead.
All around, there are sounds of sawing wood or digging, interspersed with the occasional thud of insects ramming into the shield with their bodies.
The area ahead resembles a massive construction site. As long as they keep their voices slightly down, they can communicate without worrying that the insects will hear them.
"There are quite a number of these insects, even though this is only a small part of the insect swarm, but the sea of insects battle is extremely unfriendly to attack types like us."
Su Ming observed for a while. There are no obvious leaders among these insects, and they appear to be almost the same type. However, each insect is roughly larger than a pony.
The opponent's strength level is unknown. Their power can only be estimated by the size of the rock fragments they dig, and each insect's forelimb power is about a ton. The sharp mandibles can bite with enough force to cut through thick trees like a chainsaw.
Su Ming's armor should be able to withstand this force, but the number of insects is a problem.
Even if his two great swords can take down one insect with each strike, it would mean approximately three hundred strikes are needed. Even if he moves faster, with both hands delivering a fatal strike every second, it would take him nearly three minutes to eliminate them.
The people in the cave couldn't hold on for that long, and the magic shield was already flickering.
And there's his own strength, with a load-bearing capacity of around 35 tons. Thanks to X Metal, he hasn't stopped training, like running quickly through the city's sewers, or messing with various equipment below.
Over the years, he has made significant progress in terms of strength.
The steady energy from the X Metal made his training fruitful. Now his strength has roughly doubled compared to when he left DC.
However, these insects presumably weigh over 500 kilograms each, meaning once 60 insects pile on him regardless of their survival, he would have no room to maneuver.
When facing enemies, these enhanced ants swarm forward together. It all depends on whether his martial arts can handle it.
"Cloak, can you toss the two of us to the cave entrance?" Su Ming tugged at Holloway's cloak over his head. This guy's load-bearing ability is unknown, but if possible, they could control the airspace.
Holloway's head was wrapped, making his expression hard to see, but Su Ming could see his eyes widen.
The doctor peeked out from behind the tree again. The cave entrance could be said to be the center of the insect swarm, reminding him of when he was a child and saw zoo workers feeding hyenas.
"Deathstroke, do you know these creatures?"
"First time seeing them, but don't worry. They currently don't seem to have any energy attack methods, or they would have used it against the shield by now."
Su Ming transformed the Godslayer into a giant sword and drew out the Nightfall Greatsword from his back. If things went smoothly, he only needed to block the enemy from one side by the cave entrance, which would ease a lot of pressure and provide the mage in the cave a chance to cast spells.
Speaking of which, it seems this mage hasn't used the mirror space magic. Can it be assumed that there is a flaw in this spell, or is it only usable against humans for some reason?
However, Su Ming cannot directly ask about the flaws in others' signature abilities. He keeps it in mind, waiting for a chance to probe.
Advanced Annihilation Insect Races indeed possess spatial abilities, able to escape from mirror space, but that would take time. The mage inside the cave naturally needs time to flee, so why hasn't it been used?
A heap of questions crossed his mind, but these were secondary issues. Thinking about them was merely a way to infer the strength of the insects from another angle.
Dr. Holloway peeked from behind the tree again, but the cloak on his head rose up like rabbit ears, bobbing up and down to indicate it could be done.
"Great, let's begin our tactical deployment." Su Ming hooked Holloway's neck to bring him closer, making him look at his mask, speaking in a low, raspy voice while assigning tasks: "First, the cloak will directly throw us into the center of the insect swarm, and then I'll face the insects head-on. In case things go awry, the cloak will take us out, too."
Dr. Holloway pondered, not thinking about his own future situation, but the thoughts of the people in the cave.
If the people in the cave saw reinforcements arrive and confront the insects, their hearts would ignite with hope.
But if the reinforcements withdrew, it would be like falling from heaven into hell, leading to despair.
This wasn't his style. He would rather die than retreat.
Su Ming immediately saw through his thoughts, this guy's heroism acting up again. Don't they know the saying, 'he who retreats lives to fight another day'?
"Don't overthink it, doctor. What you need to consider now is how to gain the trust of the people inside the cave in the shortest time and get them to withdraw the magic shield, allowing me to block the cave entrance... that is your task."
While Su Ming and the cloak confront the enemies, Holloway needs to communicate with the survivors to proceed to the next step of the plan. If those people don't open the door, everyone besides Su Ming could soon find themselves in danger.
It was only then that Holloway considered his situation indeed, as Deathstroke mentioned. If the people within had been scared beyond reason or were on the brink of madness, persuading them to open the magic shield, seen as a lifesaver, would be the hardest part.
"What should I do?"
Su Ming shrugged. Perhaps having the Magic Floating Cloak knock would be easier since any mage would recognize it, but in such tense times, verbal communication is more reliable.
"I don't know. Maybe try shouting something like 'If you're capable enough to be a mage, you should be capable enough to open the door, right? Open up, open up, I know you're home!'... something like that."
Dr. Holloway's eyes turned to a dead fish stare. If he couldn't tell that was a joke, then he'd really be dumb.
However, Deathstroke still appeared relaxed, despite needing to hold off hundreds of these gruesome unknown monsters as part of the plan.
"Alright, I can try, but if the people inside the cave have broken mentally, I doubt words will be effective," Holloway lowered his voice, his confidence seemingly lacking.
It's understandable. Even with the strongest heart, he's only been a masked hero for less than a month, and what he faces now is somewhat above his level.
When Su Ming first discovered himself becoming Deathstroke, even with a super brain, he was bewildered for a long while.
"No worries, if necessary, I can use weapons to break through the magic shield. However, that might cause magic backlash on the inside, making them spew three liters of blood or faint on the spot, something like that."
"Uh... let me try communicating first."
Holloway instinctively learned the 'are you joking' meme, realizing teaming up with Deathstroke was very challenging and greatly strengthened his heart.
If Su Ming knew his thoughts, he would surely tell him it's only the beginning. If the Avenging Angels survive into the real coming era, introducing him to Deadpool would make him recognize Deathstroke's virtues...