“Chapter 73”

"Chapter 73"

"[Insect hive remnants detected.]"

"As the Cangqiong hovered high above the desolate planet, searching for the optimal landing site, the onboard AI system suddenly broadcast a surprising message."

"A flicker of surprise crossed Darian's eyes as he rapidly manipulated the system to intensify the planet's scanning."

"[Scan complete.]"

"[Status of insect hive: Deceased.]"

"An incredulous commander commented, 'A hive among the Monst insect race... How could a precious hive appear in their territory? Is it possible to determine its origin date?'"

"[Excessive artificial modification, original form untraceable. Suggest close-range exploration for deeper information,]" the Cangqiong's AI system replied methodically."

"Darian recorded this information and calmly stated, 'A deceased hive poses no threat to external life forms. Continue with the landing procedure.'"

"'Yes,' the commanders responded, suppressing their underlying confusion."

"Perfectly evading the Monst insect race's starship patrols and cloaked through layers of defense, the Cangqiong successfully landed on the desolate planet."

"Although Darian remained alert for hidden enemies on the desolate planet, the Cangqiong's scanning system showed only two heartbeats present."

"One was rapidly moving towards the Cangqiong, while the other remained stationary in the distance."

"The view shifted to the desolate planet's surface, causing all commanders to stare, then frown."

"The reason was clear: nearly every corner of the land was covered with decaying, hideous insect corpses."

"The environment here was even worse than on Planet L032, Darian thought, frowning."

"Without needing a companion to voice it, the other high-ranking insects shared the same sentiment. They even felt a fleeting impulse to level the planet and reshape it before presenting it anew to the queen."

"A commander expanded the external view for a closer look, puzzled, 'These wounds on the corpses... they all share similar traits. Were they all inflicted by the same insect?'"

"Hearing this, the other commanders also scrutinized more closely. Their expressions of disgust slowly turned grave, and their gazes, subtle yet discernible, fell on Darian, the companion, waiting for his next command."

"The existence of a high-ranking insect within the Monst insect race, rivaling the companions in strength, was a matter of utmost caution."

"Having received guidance from Rei, Darian was more informed than the other high-ranking insects. After pondering for a moment, he said, 'First, dispatch some logistics and combat insects to leave the starship ahead of time, to clear and secure the surroundings.'"

"'Yes.'"

"The life signal representing the local insect race was drawing closer to the Cangqiong."

"Rei, lounging in the rest room, also noticed this. Gaia briefly reported the new information from the command center to her."

"Curiously, she asked Ural, 'Do you and Darian have a special sensory connection as companions?'"

"Ural, initially basking in the joy of accompanying Rei like a proud, pampered dog, tensed slightly upon hearing another male insect's name, his eyes carrying a hint of wariness."

"But it was Rei's question, so Ural reflected for a moment before seriously responding, 'The moment Darian appeared on R27, I indeed sensed him synchronously. I and...'"

"Ural paused, his expression oddly aggrieved as if reluctant to repeatedly mention a rival, but continued under Rei's calm gaze, 'I and Darian can indeed have sensory synchronization and mental sharing at critical moments.'"

"These abilities existed solely to serve a young queen."

"'Rei? What's wrong?' Ural noticed Rei slightly lost in thought."

"'Nothing,' Rei came back to her senses, speaking casually, 'Just... you'll meet a new companion soon. Don't kill him for now.'"

"Ural blinked, his first reaction not about having another rival for Rei's attention, but sensing something amiss about this 'new companion' from Rei's brief remarks."

"After all, vying for favor was just a bloody play in the daily life of the insect race. Putting such desires ahead of the queen's needs was an affront, elevating the individual over Her Majesty."

"Soon, the dispatched logistics and combat insects completed their initial tasks, forming a tight defensive formation on standby, ready for any sudden enemy attacks."

"As Rei descended the Cangqiong, the ground trembled slightly as if a long-slumbering beast had suddenly awakened."

"Rei looked down, puzzled, as vividly colored neural lines emerged from the concrete ground, glowing with a translucent dark purple light. They stretched anxiously yet cautiously from the distant core, piercing the mud-covered buildings and roads, rapidly invading every corner of the city with a sinister, alien aura."

"The accumulated corpses on the ground completely decayed, devoured bit by bit by the neural tendrils, finally dissipating into black particles. The air was left with a clean, sweet scent as if the traitors' presence had never existed."

"The azure sky was also slowly overrun by dark purple tendrils, the natural light vanishing from view, replaced by a profound, mysterious darkness interspersed with spots of purple light."

"Rei glanced at the nearby insects, puzzled. Normally, they would have attacked this unknown enemy, but now they were all in a drowsy, unconscious state."

"Even Darian and Ural struggled in pain, their bodies largely entwined by the thick neural tendrils, seemingly striving to regain consciousness."

"Rei refocused on the neural tendrils in front of her. Seemingly thrilled by her attention, they excitedly swayed, the dark purple light flowing even more eerily and beautifully."

"The sky's azure blue still clung to a few remaining gaps, as the neural tendrils continued to spread across the entire planet."

"They tentatively touched Rei, then waited in place for a while before gently coiling around her, seemingly trying to induce the same sleep in her as they had in the other insects."

"But Rei coldly tore them off."

"The hive consciousness: '!!!'"

"'What are you doing?' Rei, unusually irritable, casually tore off the other neural tendrils controlling the insects."

"Clearly, the hive consciousness did not expect such a rejection. The severed tendrils paused in shock, momentarily forgetting to regenerate."

"Rei looked up at the sky, noticing a distant, immense jellyfish-like silhouette, its tendrils spreading around, moving languidly towards her position."

"This technologically transformed planet had lost its original traits of the Cretaceous Star System. As soon as the queen stepped onto its surface, buildings were entwined and devoured by alien tendrils, and the nearby insects were deemed dangerous invaders by the hive consciousness."

"The world pulsated with a strange, dangerous glow. The hive tried to obscure the last vestiges of external light, drawing energy from the planet to nourish the queen."

"The hive consciousness, having faced rejection from the queen at the outset, regrew its neural tendrils, circling Rei in confusion, wondering why the young queen refused its nourishment, but refrained from emitting the gas to induce sleep."

"The other insects, emerging from their foggy state, became uneasy upon realizing the drastic changes in their surroundings."

"'Your Majesty,' Darian, having regained his clarity, observed the transformed landscape, calmly stating, 'It seems this piece of the hive developed self-awareness. It was supposed to be in a pseudo-death state but quickly awoke upon sensing your presence. These tendrils... are also for transferring nutrients to you.'"

"The hive consciousness, unable to comprehend language and only adjusting its nourishment strategy based on the queen's physical state and emotions, noticed Rei conversing with external insects, ignoring it. Helplessly, it flicked its neural tendrils, the vivid dark purple slowly tinged with a surreal, worried blue."

"Rei frowned slightly, as if annoyed by the trouble brought by the hive: 'You've devoured all those corpses.'"

"Which could have been a source for clues."

"Even with a simple glance, the Monst insect race of the Cretaceous Star System seemed fundamentally different from regular insect races, even from the rebellious insects of L032."

"The jellyfish representing the hive consciousness froze in place, sensing the queen's displeasure and blame, morphing into a sorrowful blue. Then, it slowly expelled a cluster of bizarre, twisted parasites, some being eyeballs, others merely cellular specks."

"All of them bore wounds inflicted by a cruel, red-eyed insect, kept against their will."

"Darian picked up a piece of the neural tendril Rei had torn off. Though severed from the main body, it still trembled faintly, reacting to external touch, transforming from harmless to a threatening, clawed posture in an instant."

"But considering Rei's recent actions, the neural tendrils only managed to appear menacing, not actually attacking."

"The section of the neural tendril in Delrian's hand also belatedly recognized his status as a symbiote, reluctantly withdrawing some of its hostility."

Delyan, after a brief interaction, made a preliminary judgment, speaking with a hint of hesitation and increasing gentleness, “Your Majesty, the lifespan of this Zerg Nest is barely over twenty years. It’s rare for such a nest to develop consciousness, but like this one, which is short-lived, it will completely die once the Queen absorbs all its nutrients.”

A true Zerg Nest would have developed a comprehensive sustenance system internally, storing more racial information, unlike this giant jellyfish that crudely identifies all foreign Zerg as dangerous intruders.

Of course, it might also be influenced by long-term modifications by the Monstrum Zerg.

Rei, looking down, observed the intertwining purple and blue tentacles, calmly sending a mental command to the Zerg Nest.

[First, retract all your tentacles.]

The giant jellyfish’s melancholic blue deepened, understanding Rei’s intention, reluctantly withdrawing its tentacles in a slow, lingering motion.

After all, as a Zerg Nest, it was constantly capturing and breaking down Rei’s essence, sensing the Queen’s long-neglected nutrition needs, naturally wanting to fulfill its birth purpose.

Soon, the city, once brimming like a flooded sea, returned to normal, though buildings still bore the alien, tentacle-like strands, with the giant jellyfish unwaveringly, leisurely approaching Rei.

Rei’s heterochromatic eyes reflected a world where technology and alien species coexisted, with the reawakened Zerg Nest, tentacles proliferating, aggressively claiming everything as its own, as if to monopolize the entire planet.

Such an extraordinary Zerg Nest, born to fade away, becoming nourishment for the Zerg Queen’s growth, tragic yet beautiful.