Devouring Stars: Master of Evolution

Chapter 225 Preparations for War! The Expanding Swarm

Inside the Queen Mother's Nest, Qin Mu transformed into a streak of light and flew outwards.

Queen Irina and the Iceberg followed closely behind.

In the sky, Qin Mu looked at the vast swarm of insects, numbering in the tens of millions, and smiled as he spoke to Irina.

"I plan to classify the insect swarms according to rules and establish eight major strains of insect races."

The Zerg swarm has now been initially constructed, but it is not yet mature. Many Zerg units have not been tested in actual combat, and their actual combat effectiveness cannot be guaranteed.

This is what you need to do now: establish these eight major insect strains.

Queen Irina smiled and nodded; this was something she was more than good at.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

As the Queen Mother, adjusting the Zerg is both an instinct and a talent.

Although she was best at playing Flametan, Shadowknight, and Mantis Zerg due to limitations imposed by the Mulch in the past, it doesn't mean she doesn't understand hatching and tuning other types of Zerg.

"Yes, many classifications of the Zerg swarm are not yet complete. The eight major strains of Zerg are all modeled after the Starry Sky Beasts. They are quite strong in frontal combat and attack, but they are weak in detection. This is something that needs to be addressed."

Additionally, you need to identify and address any weaknesses in the insect swarm.

Qin Mu gave the instructions.

While the current insect swarms are indeed powerful, their weaknesses are also obvious, namely the lack of detection methods. For now, they can still make do with human-made detectors.

It is inappropriate for a swarm of insects to rely on human detection systems.

In the universe, there are many powerful races that possess the talent for detection, making their detectors more useful than those of humans.

For example, Qin Mu remembered that within the Ancestral God Cult, there was a special life form called the Barking Mirror King, who was most skilled at detection.

He was granted the secret technique "Mirror of the Universe," which, once activated, could sweep across a range of one billion kilometers in a straight line, as if reflecting everything clearly in a mirror, making any danger visible. Only by becoming the master of the universe, able to completely control a region of spacetime, could this be achieved.

Otherwise, there would be absolutely no way to avoid this "Mirror of the Universe," and, with the Mirror King's probing... other powerful figures wouldn't even be aware of the probing.

This can be considered one of the strongest detection talents under the Lord of the Universe.

While we don't need to have this level of detection capabilities immediately within the swarm, we must at least have the means to detect immortals.

In fact, the swarm has analyzed billions of organisms, some of which possess this talent.

However, Qin Mu was simply too busy to handle everything, and since he hadn't had any prior need for it, he put it aside for the time being.

But now that Qin Mu is planning to go to the battlefield outside the domain, he naturally needs to make preparations in advance in all aspects.

"clear."

"Queen Irina said softly."

Qin Mu's swarm is undoubtedly very powerful, but it has only existed for a short time. While it has more potential compared to the Devouring Zerg, which has existed for hundreds of millions of years, it is still not perfect in some aspects.

Irina's presence can help fill in the gaps and deficiencies.

Although she is only skilled in the production and debugging of the Flame Tank, Shadow Blade, and Mantis.

However, among these three Zerg, the Flame Tank Zerg excels in attacking strong positions, the Sharp Shadow Zerg excels in speed and assassination, while the Hunter Mantis Zerg is more well-rounded. The three complement each other to unleash even greater power.

Although Qin Mu's insect swarm is stronger, it does not have such a classification.

After arranging things for his mother, Queen Irina, Qin Mu turned to look at the iceberg.

"Iceberg, I need you to build a separate intelligence system for the Swarm!"

Iceberg's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly.

"Yes, Master!"

Qin Mu said solemnly.

"I will grant you sufficient authority, including overseeing units like the Iceberg Beast and the Demon Slayer Clan, which are skilled in disguise and assassination. You can then hatch them independently."

First, establish an intelligence center among humans, then expand outwards and integrate into the surrounding communities.

Ideally, we should gather enough intelligence for the Zerg swarm in the outer battlefields beforehand, to prepare for the subsequent advance of the Zerg army.

In the Blood Luo world, Qin Mu had already tasted the benefits of establishing an assassination and infiltration intelligence force, so he directly separated it and built it into an independent intelligence department.

With the transformation abilities of the Iceberg Behemoth, the replication of the Demon Slayers, and the Zerglings' insectoid transformation, once this department is established, it will be absolutely terrifying.

Of the six top races, apart from the mechanical race, the other races can easily blend in.

"Yes, Master!"

Iceberg grinned and said.

"I have a mission for you. In the 'Cuilang Starfield' of the Qianwu Universe Kingdom, there is an organization that runs a slave trade called 'Fire Phoenix.' Capture their leader, Pansi."

His combat strength wasn't particularly strong; he only possessed a ninth-tier Iron Vine Grass and a ninth-tier Snail Flower. Killing him would bring back the Locke Divine Water from the insect swarm!

The swarm needs to enter a rapid development phase, and resources are already running out. The Locke Divine Water, worth 63.37 billion Hunyuan, is the best development resource for him.

I'll send you his coordinates later. I've also taken care of your human identity; you can use your identity from the Virtual Universe Company to find him directly and kill him!

Qin Mu said with a smile.

Pansy had been coveting the Locke Divine Water in his hands for a long time.

Pansy was originally an object that the Virtual Universe Company requested to be judged when Luo Feng was carrying out the Domain Master's mission in the original timeline.

He himself is not important, but he has a fortuitous encounter, a bottle of Locke Divine Water that is comparable to all the assets of a king who has achieved immortality!

Locke's Divine Water was named by Locke, a super being among humanity, in the distant, infinitely ancient times, shortly after the birth of the universe.

Locke Divine Water possesses incredibly powerful life force. It can be used to cultivate plant life, to heal the body, and so on. In short, anything that can absorb life force can be used. It has a wide range of uses, and therefore its value is extremely high.

The "life energy" contained in the Rock Divine Water is of an extremely high level, and its effects are even stronger than those of the Fruit of Life. It has a powerful effect on immortal-level plant life, making it excellent for both sale and personal use by insect swarms.

One cubic kilometer of Locke Divine Water sold for 890 million Mixed Yuan Units at auction.

But Pansi had a lake-sized amount of the Rock Divine Water, with a precise volume of 712 cubic kilometers.

A simple conversion would show that it's worth 63.37 billion Hunyuan!

Previously, we lacked the strength and resources, so we didn't touch him, but now it's different.

Iceberg was already a peak realm master, and as a star beast, his strength far surpassed that of ordinary human realm masters. He had also undergone the Blood Crystal enhancement, which increased his strength by dozens of times. He could even face a Marquis Immortal head-on.

It's just a Pansy, a piece of cake.

As the personal disciple of the Chaos City Lord, Qin Mu possessed terrifyingly high authority. Granting Iceberg a human identity and checking Pansy's location would be a piece of cake for him.

As for the reason for taking action, Qin Mu had already found one for him: over the past hundred years, many star regions in China have had offices and caravans.

One of the caravan members disappeared in the Cuilang Starfield, and the suspects are the Fire Phoenix Group!

As he spoke, Qin Mu took out three weapons from his spatial ring and handed them to Bing Shan.

They consist of a pair of sharp claws, a suit of armor, and a pair of gray wings.

This is a divine weapon stolen from the Temple of Immortality, a divine weapon powerful enough for a Marquis to use!

As a cosmic behemoth, when the Iceberg unleashes its full power or reverts to its original form, its most formidable attack is its claws.

Weapons that reach this stage can automatically adjust to the user's body shape.

With these three treasures, he could defeat some powerful figures at the rank of Marquis when he unleashed his full power.

"After obtaining the Locke Divine Water, purchase a property in this location. According to the information I have obtained, there is a high probability that a cosmic secret realm exists here, a cosmic secret realm inhabited by special life forms!"

Don't alert them. Just gather some intelligence and wait until the insect swarm reaches the level of a World Lord before making any probes.

Qin Mu gave the instructions.

Qin Mu had not forgotten the information about the secret realm he had obtained from the Lord of the Thick Earth Realm.

While the current strength of the swarm may not be sufficient, it's always good to gather some intelligence in advance. Once the Locke Divine Water arrives and the swarm reaches the level of a World Lord, they will be able to get a glimpse of its potential.

In the past, he lacked both ability and vision.

However, things changed drastically after he joined the core of the Virtual Universe Company and became a personal disciple of the Chaos City Lord.

If it truly is a secret cosmic realm that has nurtured special life forms, then its value should be estimated at least in the trillions of Chaos Points, or even in the form of precious treasure points.

It doesn't need to be comparable to a high-level secret realm like the Blood Luo World, but even if it's only one-tenth or one-hundredth the size of the Blood Luo World, it would be enough to cause the insect swarm's strength and scale to undergo another transformation.

Even if this secret realm is powerful enough that the insect swarm can't conquer it, he can still gain the greatest benefit from his current identity.

There's no need to ask the Lord of Chaos City for help, but asking the Lord of Qianwu Kingdom or Venerable Guiyi for assistance would be fine.

"Yes, Master!"

Iceberg accepted the three divine weapons and responded respectfully.

However, Iceberg was not in a hurry to leave, because as the strongest fighter in the swarm and possessing a vast inner world, most of the swarm's mother hives and cosmic behemoths were stored in his inner world.

Now that he's going out on a mission, it's obviously inappropriate.

"Irina, the swarm is currently at the Domain Lord level. It will take nearly a hundred years for it to reach the World Lord level."

The next world we're about to enter will be a place where the Zerg swarm will wage all-out war, and I need a group of Lord-level Zerg warriors as my trump card.

Therefore, I need to use your brood mound to build a batch of Lord-level Zerg warriors as a transitional measure.

Qin Mu turned to look at Irina again.

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty, as long as there are enough resources, my nest will be able to continuously hatch Zerg warriors at the peak World Lord level."

Irina smiled, a hint of confidence in her eyes.

"The three types of Zerg warriors I am best at breeding are: the first is the Tiger Beetle, which is extremely powerful among the 'Class A Zerg,' and if we were to further divide it, it would be considered a branch of the Tiger Beetle, the 'Flame Tank Zerg.'"

The Tiger Beetle tribe shares a common trait with other beetle tribes—strong defense!

The Tiger Beetles are renowned for their strength and are undoubtedly among the best Zerg warriors in siege warfare. A formation composed of a group of Tiger Beetle warriors is the most difficult to break through.

And when all the Tiger Beetle warriors form an endless swarm and begin to slaughter, they are the most terrifying force.

"Master, look, this is the Tiger Beetle Clan."

Queen Irina pointed to the grassy area beside her.

call!

A 30-meter-tall Zerg warrior appeared out of nowhere. It was incredibly robust, and its entire body was covered by an extremely thick carapace.

Its head has oval-shaped compound eyes, which are completely protected by its carapace. Its head is as well protected as a warrior wearing a helmet.

The front of its chest is covered with menacing spikes, and its thick, powerful, and bent hind legs support its body.

The entire Tiger Beetle Clan gives off a solid and robust feeling!

Fierce! Like a tank, it exudes a brave and fierce aura. Its carapace is entirely fiery red, and even its well-protected compound eyes are fiery red.

"This is a tiger beetle of the peak level of a World Lord."

Queen Irina explained.

"Yes, I know."

Qin Mu nodded. The Yantan insectoids were once the main force of the insectoid swarm, but they were eliminated after the battle with the Thick Earth Realm Lord.

However, the tiger beetle in front of him was a peak World Lord level being, much stronger than the one he had hatched before.

"Let's talk about the other two."

"The second type belongs to the 'Front Shadow Zerg' within the Shadow Zerg race. In more detail, it can be divided into a branch of the Front Shadow Zerg called the 'Nasta Zerg'."

"Queen Irina said."

"The Shadow Zerg share the common characteristics of Shadow Zerg—extremely fast speed. It possesses an astonishing speed, as fast as a phantom, and its attack power is also extremely strong."

The only weakness is... physical weakness.

Queen Irina explained, "Fast, powerful, and physically weak—that's the Shadow Blade Zerg."

"Dominator, the Shadow Zerg, are not in my inner world. They were exhausted on the extraterrestrial battlefield back then."

It is smaller and thinner than a tiger beetle, and its carapace is not bright red, but dark gray.

Queen Irina explained.

Qin Mu nodded.

One is tackling the problem, the other is exploring it.

If the Tiger Beetles are heavy cavalry, then the Shadow Beetles are light cavalry.

"The last one belongs to the largest category of my Zerg, the 'Mantis', and is one of the most powerful Zerg species, the 'Hunter Mantis'."

The mantis-hunting insects I created belong to the "Tro" race, a branch of the mantis-hunting insect race.

"Queen Irina said."

"The Mantis Hunters are the most powerful of the three types I am skilled at creating."

"It possesses a powerful body, astonishing speed, amazing defense, incredibly agile dodging ability, and innate superb combat skills."

Queen Irina's voice rose slightly.

"To produce one Hunter Mantis is roughly equivalent to producing five Shadow Blade Zerg or two Tiger Beetle Zerg of the same level."

"Master, this is a peak-level World Lord Hunter Mantis. Of my remaining eleven peak-level World Lord insectoid warriors, eight are Hunter Mantis insectoids."

As Queen Irina spoke, she clearly had the most confidence in the Mantis Hunters, which was why she had kept the largest number of them. She pointed to the grassland beside her, and suddenly a huge creature appeared.

It is about 24 meters tall.

They are leaner than the Tiger Beetles and more ferocious than the Shadow Blade Beetles, with a layer of streamlined scales that are predominantly black.

The complex black scales are adorned with blue patterns, giving the entire Mantis Hunter Clan an eerie aura. It has thick lower limbs and two pairs of forelimbs that resemble battle blades, with sharp claws along the edges of the forelimbs.

A pair of compound eyes stand out.

Two sharp horns protrude from its head, and its mouth occasionally opens, revealing a dense array of sharp teeth.

Qin Mu nodded in satisfaction. These three types of insectoids were considered relatively powerful among the Devouring Insectoids.

While it cannot compare to powerful units like the Starry Sky Beast, it is a good choice as a transitional unit.

"Very good! Train a batch of Zerg units in normal mode, numbering in the millions. I will provide you with sufficient resources."

Qin Mu smiled and said, "There are two ways to train the Zerg warriors who devour the world."

First, normal training.

Secondly, they created countless Zerg with the strength of the stars, universes, and cosmic levels. Then, they made them fight each other, devouring one another, with the weak dying and the strong living, until the last one, the so-called king.

This Zerg king is ten times stronger than a typical peak-level Zerg warrior of the Realm Lord.

However, this method requires a hundred times more energy than the former and takes a very long time, which does not align with Qin Mu's plan.

These are just some transitional measures, meant to be kept secret.

Your own swarm is the future! The fiercer the battle, the faster the swarm evolves.

If it weren't for a crisis, Qin Mu wouldn't even have planned to use these Zerg warriors.

If cultivated normally, and calculated using cosmic crystals, the Shadow Blade Zerg at the peak of the Realm Lord level would require approximately 10 Mixed Yuan Units worth of cosmic crystals.

A single Tiger Beetle at the peak of the Realm Lord level requires 25 Mixed Yuan Units, while a Mantis Hunter requires 50 Mixed Yuan Units.

Creating a king would require about a hundred times more.

Based on the Tiger Beetle Clan at the peak of the Realm Lord level, 100 million of them would require 2500 million Chaos Yuan to hatch using Cosmic Crystals.

Of course, using cosmic crystals for incubation is too extravagant; purchasing biological flesh and blood would significantly reduce the resources required.

"It's so cheap!"

Qin Mu shook his head and sighed. Compared to his own Zerg warriors, hatching these Zerg species was really too cheap.

Right now, if I hatch a single peak-level Domain Lord-level Starry Sky Beast, I can hatch a whole batch of peak Realm Lords.

When the insect swarm reaches the level of a World Lord, the resources required to hatch just one Golden Horned Beast at the peak World Lord level will be tens of millions of times that of a single Mantis Hunter!

In other words, if converted to cosmic crystals, it would require approximately 5 million cosmic crystals!

Even purchasing biological flesh and blood, Zerg corpses, etc., would cost at least 5 million Chaos Yuan.

The difference is so huge it's simply outrageous.

There's no way around it; a Golden Horned Beast at the peak World Lord level is over 1000 kilometers long, while how big is a Tiger Beetle?

This is only one!

The resources required for hatching the other top bloodlines are not much different from those required for the Golden Horned Beast.

Not to mention, their own swarm also includes eight strains of Zerg, modeled after giant cosmic beasts such as the Golden Horned Beast!

It's alright now. Once the swarm reaches the level of a world lord, even with the resources at our disposal and the frantic harvesting from the more than one hundred star systems under China's control, it will still be far from enough to support the swarm's growth.

This is why Qin Mu coveted the Locke Divine Water in Pansy's possession.

There's no way around it, we're poor!

"Fortunately, the Blood Luo World has acquired a batch of divine weapons, otherwise, with the limited resources I have, it wouldn't be enough to hatch a million peak world lord insectoids."

"Not only the peak-level world lord insectoid race, but my insectoid swarm also needs to expand."

Chapter 1, 5000 words. Please support me with monthly votes!

(End of this chapter)