Collapse Iron Live Broadcast Connects All Worlds, Scares Away Wuzhan at the Beginning

-

Battle of Two Cities.

Zaun.

When you push open the door of Singed's laboratory, you are greeted by a pungent smell mixed with putrid fluid and alchemical potions.

Under the dim light, the laboratory table was covered with various sticky, tangled insects. Their shells shone metallically in the dark green culture medium, and the sight of them made Hilco feel nauseous.

"You gathered these horny bugs together, are you trying to research biological weapons?" Hilko frowned, looking down at the iron cage in the corner of the laboratory - inside it was a young stone beetle and a scarab from Shurima - he really couldn't understand why anyone would sell this on the black market in Zaun.

Although they were both beetles, they were two completely different creatures—even Hilko could tell the difference at a glance. But at this moment, the two insects were huddled together, looking quite affectionate.

Singed didn't turn around, his hunched back swaying in front of the lab table. His fingers were fiddling with two distinct insects—their abdominal cavities had been artificially cut open and forcibly connected with an alchemical tube. A viscous solution flowed through the tube, and the two insects convulsed in pain, unable to break free.

"Don't you think it's amazing?" Singed's slightly hoarse voice was filled with enthusiasm and excitement. "Look, they clearly come from different races, but driven by the desire to breed, they merged... to create a new species!"

Hilco stared coldly at the test subject. He had no interest in the experiment. Rather than creating bugs... he was more interested in how to make those high-handed, self-important bastards in Upper City grovel at his feet.

"And what? You want to use the bugs you created to deal with Shangcheng?"

"Not only that." Singed looked up at the sky. At this moment, the scene in the sky was almost completely occupied by the overwhelming swarm of insects. They were splitting and devouring in geometric multiples. All the grass and trees on the Worm Star were covered with a thick layer of insects.

"The Star God of Breeding has appeared. Although he is only a virtual creation in a simulated universe, a portion of his power has actually affected the insects of the entire Valoran continent."

"Creating insects capable of serving in war is indeed one of my current tasks," Singed said, his voice like a serpent's whisper. "But I'm even more curious about the power of reproduction within these insects... and what form it takes. If I could extract it and use it for my own benefit... that would be very interesting."

"Trying to get your hands on the power of the Star God? Doctor, you're quite courageous. I like that. If you need any help from now on, just let me know."

Hilko turned and walked towards the door, his artificial eye flashing crimson in the shadows. "But if this power gets out of control... I will burn this place down myself, Doctor."

-

"The sky of the Wartworm Star is dark red, like a festering scab. But the sky in the Star Eye is black, with dense swarms of insects mating in the sky, like black blood flowing from a scab."

"From mating, the swarm gives rise to new offshoots, which then combine with each other, like a rose in a shifting form, its petals intertwined. The swarm's reproduction is like a flower emitting pheromones of varying honey-scents... ugliness and sweetness stacked against each other..."

"The flapping of wings was like the synchronized beating of billions of hearts. Xing could feel her eardrums vibrating, as if the insects had burrowed into her head and were constantly chirping."

"But even in this suffocating chaos—"

"Xing also felt the gaze."

"Not from the Zerg, nor from the Black Tower. It came from some older, more distant being. That gaze seemed to penetrate the dimensions of the universe, like a cool metal probe, gently pressing against her spinal cord."

"'Xing... can you feel it?'" This time, the Black Tower's voice appeared directly in her mind. "He is watching us—no, to be more precise, watching the [breeding] Taizi Yulos."

""who?""

"[Order]—Taiyi," the Black Tower said. "Order's destiny is to lead the universe into eternal harmony. This is also Taiyi's will. He observed [Reproduction], perhaps to see if this newborn Star God could interfere with [Order]?"

"The scene before my eyes quickly switched. The swarm of insects that filled the sky disappeared, replaced by a vast ocean."

"The waves crumbled into white foam at Xing's feet, and each receding wave seemed to carry away some of the insect blood stuck to her feet—but there were no insects in this world. Not to mention insects, it seemed there weren't even many people. In the distance, some unknown seabird was calling, its piercing sound making her feel a little nostalgic."

"After spending so long on the Dragon Star, she feels incredibly close to every animal."

"What have you been doing to me again?" Xing took a deep breath. The warm sea breeze slightly dispelled the psychological shadow she had on the Warthog Star."

"Mandalay Island on the planet Dalabur," Black Tower said slowly. "This is the first world that [Breeding] descended upon after ascending to become a Star God."

Chapter 270 Simulated Universe: Locust Plague (V)

"The residents here believe in using the birth of life to resist the fear of loneliness and death. It is for this reason that this place was chosen for [breeding]." Black Tower continued.

"But there aren't any bugs here." Xing looked around. While there were buildings and signs of life, there weren't any people.

"Let's take a walk around here, maybe we can find some clues," said Heita.

"Xing wandered to a nearby hospital, where she finally saw humans—no, to be precise, these humans could no longer be called humans. They were like the swarm of insects surrounding the Insect King, merely creatures fulfilling their destiny of reproduction, intensively exchanging pheromones."

"The hospital corridors were filled with a thick, sweet smell tinged with rust, and the floor was covered in bloodstains. In the nursery, the chirping of dozens of newborns erupted alongside the salty, fishy smell, making Xing somewhat unsteady on her feet."

"Wait... insects?" Xing suddenly reacted and flung open the doors to the nursery and delivery room. She saw that the cribs where the babies should have been were completely covered in insects!

"And in the corridor nearby, a young pregnant woman was wailing feebly."

"Countless irregular, wriggling bulges appeared beneath her enormous abdomen, as if millions of larvae were frantically gnawing at her. Her features were practically contorted in pain. She was struggling to breathe, crawling towards the operating room, leaving a long trail of blood on the ground."

"What's in her stomach is..." Xing swallowed, wanting to say something but stopped herself.

"…They're all bugs." Black Tower sighed. "Under the influence of the fate of reproduction, all living things will only give birth to bugs. And under the control of this fate, [reproduction] is the only thing they think about."

-

Dragon clan.

Caesar's pupils narrowed slightly, and the image on the sky screen shifted in sync with Xing's perspective. In this hospital, nearly all the women capable of childbearing, young and old, had bulging bellies. The power of reproduction seemed to have transformed their bodies to some degree.

Some of them gave birth directly to worms, while others laid a mass of eggs covered in blood. The translucent egg sheaths burst the instant they came into contact with air, revealing wet larvae, their delicate legs still stained with human amniotic fluid.

"Disgusting." Caesar shook his head, his voice as cold as tempered steel.

"According to the data observed by the academy from all over the world, almost all insects in the world were affected by the fate of [Reproduction] just now, which lasted for about ten minutes."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, in the past ten minutes, who knows how many new species of insects have appeared around the world." Chu Zihang said expressionlessly, "The good news is that we humans haven't been affected, and the offspring are still normal humans."

"Giving birth to a normal human being is such an ordinary thing... I actually heard a hint of relief from your mouth." Caesar said with a wry smile.

"It's indeed fortunate that this is just a product of a simulated universe. If it were a real Star God... it would affect more than just insects. The power of [Reproduction] would probably completely suppress the dragon blood in our bodies, turning us into—"

"Ahem...Okay, I still have to eat dinner today." Caesar interrupted him in time, "Thinking about the movie scenes I saw in Alien before, which turned out to be scenes that really happened in the universe, I...Okay, I really want to vomit now."

"If you really hate bugs, I can recommend a few movies about killing bugs. They're very relaxing and might help ease your mental state a little."

-

Marvel Universe.

The corner of Tony's mouth twitched, and then he stood up suddenly, turned around and strode towards the bathroom. The moment the door was slammed shut, the sound of retching and flushing could be heard from inside.

Strange crossed his arms across his chest, his expression even more stern than usual - according to the message just transmitted from the Sanctuary, bugs all over the world were behaving strangely - although it didn't last long, the influence of fate was evident.

When Tony came back, his face was pale and he had a glass of whiskey in his hand - although he knew that alcohol had no effect on him now.

"I've seen a lot of disgusting things," he said hoarsely, "but this... this really pushes the boundaries for me."

Strange did not respond immediately, his eyes fixed on the "newborns" in the hospital in the sky. There was a metallic luster on the compound eyes of the insects. They had been gnawing on the food in the room since the first minute of their birth - they would not let go of anything that could be eaten or bitten.

Just like a swarm of locusts.

——He suddenly understood why the Black Tower called this disaster the "Universal Locust Plague."

"The embodiment of the destiny of [Reproduction]... life will be twisted into a pure tool for reproduction, and everything will become food for insects." After a long silence, Strange finally spoke, "If it continues to develop in this way, the locust plague will be enough to destroy the entire universe, so how can it be stopped?" Strange thought that in the Black Tower, the locust plague had become a distant past, which meant that the Star God of [Reproduction] had already fallen.

Kafka said that Star Gods can be killed, and many Star Gods have indeed fallen in the universe... But that's just talk, after all, no one has witnessed it with their own eyes.

"It's more reasonable for a Star God to kill a Star God. Is it possible that it's a Star God of Destruction or a Star God of Hunting?" Tony answered subconsciously.

"Those two Star Gods are very young. It seems they were promoted to Star Gods after the locust plague." Strange pondered for a few seconds. "Could it be... Aha, the Star God of Joy?"

"Uh..." Tony forced a smile. "If a war broke out between the Star Gods, I don't know if Aha would be the first to join, but he would definitely be the first to run away."

-

"A swarm of insects, nourished by flesh and blood, burst through the windows and flew towards the universe. And on the distant horizon, more black dots were rising."

"From the ruins of cities, from the ravaged wilderness, from the mud of dried-up riverbeds—every crack in the earth spewed swarms of insects. They gathered into tributaries, then intertwined into undercurrents, obscuring the entire sky like a dark cloud."

"They held out for twenty-one days," Black Tower sighed. "Twenty-one days later, the planet of Great Lapule declared a global fall and requested interstellar assistance."

"Looking up, Xing saw transport ship after transport ship landing in the city. Most of the survivors were carrying supplies and preparing to flee. Only a small group of people gathered together, trying to persuade a mad woman who had locked herself in a room to leave."

Chapter 271 Simulated Universe: Locust Plague (VI)

"Xing stood outside the window, tapping the glass with his knuckles, trying to get the woman's attention."

"The transport ship is very close..." Xing's voice was very soft, as if she was afraid of disturbing her."

The woman's head shot up, her bloodshot eyes visible through her tangled hair. Her fingers were tangled with rough thread, and around her feet lay dozens of tiny cloth shoes—some only half-sewn, others frayed at the edges—stacked crookedly on the floor.

"'Get out of here!' the woman screamed, grabbing an unfinished shoe and smashing it against the window. 'You liars! You robbers! I hear my children's voices! ... I'm waiting for them to come back!'"

"Xing's eyes swept across the room. The walls were covered with all kinds of clothing. In the corner, a ragged stuffed bear sat slumped over, its belly crisscrossed with patches. The threads trailed on the ground, blackened by the woman's bare feet."

"According to the few remaining written records on the planet Great Lapule, this woman's name was Mercierz," Heita said calmly. "All the children she gave birth to were bugs, so... she went mad."

"After the advent of [Fertility], there were many others like her. Taiz-yulus controls the [Fertility] of all living things... More precisely, he controls the concept of fertility. Judging from our current understanding of the C'tan Gods, this is probably only a small manifestation of his power."

“Does He know what He is doing?”

"Are you talking about the Insect King?" Black Tower said, "If you mean whether He possesses a personal mind... that's uncertain. Perhaps His only thought is to reproduce endlessly."

"Xing saw Mercedes sitting beside the empty cradle when suddenly a bug came in through her broken window and gnawed at the little food left in the room.

"Mercière hugged it, trembling. For a moment she thought her child had returned, and tears streamed down her face. Her fingertips gently stroked the insect's smooth shell, as if she were stroking her child's back."

"She sewed clothes for it, wrapping its body in scraps of cloth; she made cloth shoes for it, stubbornly fitting them onto its hairy legs; at night, she taught it language, asking it to call her 'Mom,' but all it heard in response was the rustling of its limbs."

"Seven days later, her home was filled with the offspring of her 'child.' They gnawed at the curtains, hollowed out the floorboards, and left winding holes in the walls. Mercièse sat in the middle of the sea of ​​insects, still sewing her tiny shoes stitch by stitch, as the swarm crawled all over her, not a single one stopping for her."

-

grim Reaper.

In the backyard of Urahara Shoten, the night was dark.

Kisuke Urahara leaned against the door frame, tapping his palm with the folding fan in his hand. He stared at the crazy woman sitting among the insects in the sky. When he saw the insects crawling up her cheeks, Urahara suddenly felt a chill in his heart and subconsciously slapped his face with the folding fan.

"What's wrong? Are you afraid of bugs on your face?" Shihouin Yoruichi stepped out from the shadows, his golden cat eyes narrowing slightly. "It's rare to see you with such an expression."

"Faced with an overwhelming swarm of insects, it's normal to be afraid, right?" Urahara folded up his folding fan. "The power of the Star Gods... is truly unreasonable. It's like establishing some unrealistic rules and forcing everything in the universe to obey them."

"I can only say... It's a good thing [breeding] disappeared early enough, otherwise even we wouldn't be spared."

"Hmph, you think this is the end? Have you forgotten the giant stinging insect that swallowed the train not long ago?" Ye Yi folded his arms and sneered, "Those insects that invaded the interior of the carriages immediately began laying eggs and have the ability to 'replicate'. If Xing and his men hadn't killed them faster than they could replicate, I'm afraid the train would have been swarming with insects long ago."

"Yoichi, what you mean is... there is still a power of reproduction in the universe?"

"Well, the disappearance of the Star God doesn't mean the disappearance of all the insect swarms. Look at the speed at which those true stinging insects lay eggs and reproduce... They are enough to become a force that cannot be ignored and could harm the universe."

As he was speaking, Yoruichi uttered a slightly displeased "tsk," "Thanks to these bugs, I feel a lot more comfortable looking at Hollows now. Some Hollows at least have some sense and purpose, but these bugs... they only know how to devour and reproduce, endlessly."

Urahara was silent for a moment, then suddenly chuckled, "Well, Yoruichi, if that swarm of bugs rushed over, do you think the living world and Soul Society could hold them back?"

"..."

Ye Yi rolled her eyes at him, "How do I know if I can stop them? But if the bugs really come, you will definitely be the first one to hide in the basement laboratory and tinker with some messed up inventions."

Urahara Kisuke exaggeratedly covered his chest with his hands, revealing a hurt expression: "Oh my, Miss Yoruichi, what you said really hurts my heart - I am obviously the kind of person who will fight on the front line to protect everyone at the first moment~"

"Oh? Really?" Yoruichi raised an eyebrow, looking at him with a half-smile. "Then who was hiding in a shop eating watermelon and watching the show when the Hollows attacked Karakura Town last time, and even called it 'observing the battle'?"

"That, that was strategic waiting!" Urahara coughed dryly, his fan swish open, covering half his face, revealing only a pair of smiling eyes. "Besides, didn't I take action in the end?"

"Hmph." Yoruichi was about to mock Urahara again when suddenly, her pupils suddenly contracted.

It began with a dense, pointillist pattern—thousands of fluttering insect shadows trembling among the stars, like a painter's distorted starry sky suddenly coming to life. Then, the entire painting began to be erased by some invisible eraser, fading from the edges to reveal the original paleness of the canvas.

In just a blink of an eye, the swarm of insects seemed to be wiped out violently.

"...What is that?" Yoruichi's voice trembled slightly, which was rare.

But Urahara Kisuke couldn't answer her. His folding fan fell to the ground with a "click" and cold sweat slid down his forehead.

He was keenly aware that... it was not just [reproduction], but something beyond their cognition appeared in the light curtain.

There was no sound, no light, yet the two seemed to hear the wailing of countless galaxies. Swarms, planets, stars... everything vanished into nothingness in that dark maw.

-

"[Greedy]—Oboros," Black Tower explained. "Greedy is a star god who ascended from the Ancient Beast of Dusk. He is both an ancient beast and a star god, a never-satisfied devourer and a thinking void. He is ranked alongside Krippo of Preservation as the oldest known star god."

"So was I just eaten by Him?" Xing remembered that he was just with the crazy woman.

"Well, every time Greedy opens his mouth, billions of stars perish—and, of course, so do countless descendants of Taizyuros. One breeds, the other devours. They sound like a pair of enemies, fulfilling their respective destinies while also bringing catastrophic disaster to the universe."

Chapter 272 Simulated Universe: Locust Plague (VII)

"Sound like a buffet?"