161: Chapter 161 Arrived Just in Time

...

Kirigan led Lin Fang out of the Kaiju hatchery and arrived at their capital city. In reality, this capital was only about 40 kilometers from the hatchery.

The capital stretched as far as the eye could see. It wasn't constructed from brick, stone, or metal, but seemed to be formed from a black substance that had grown from the earth itself. Structures resembling giant honeycombs or spiral shells rose from it, and densely packed, dot-like creatures living within were the Precursors residing here.

No, they should be called the Kaminax.

Kirigan parked the Kaiju outside the city walls. Lin Fang naturally descended from the air and walked into the city.

Upon entering, Lin Fang witnessed a startling scene.

"What are they doing? Giving birth?"

Through gaps in the structures, Lin Fang could see a group of Kaminax inside in the process of parturition. Yes, a whole group.

Cracks appeared in the abdominal plates of their bodies, squeezing out fleshy sacs wrapped in viscous fluid. These sacs were taken by their companions and placed into adjacent containers holding a liquid resembling nutrient solution.

"This is my race's method of reproduction," Kirigan explained calmly. "There are no gender distinctions. Every mature individual can, by consuming its own substance, separate an embryonic unit possessing complete genetic information. Except for the King, giving birth is the daily work of all members of the race."

"Including you?"

This leader's status within the race was likely quite high.

"Of course. I give birth the most—twenty a year."

Hmm...

This race truly has great potential. Lin Fang grew increasingly intrigued by them.

Soon, Lin Fang arrived before an utterly ordinary spiral-shell structure. The building was no different from those around it, but Kirigan stated that their King was inside.

Upon entering, Lin Fang believed it. The Kaminax inside not only had more intricate golden patterns on its body but also possessed a fan-shaped head crest, which other Kaminax lacked.

The moment the young man entered, the creature inside slowly rose, displaying a peculiar elegance.

"Honored One, the Kaminax welcome your arrival."

Lin Fang looked at this so-called King, myriad thoughts flashing through his mind, but he still said, "Tell me, what do I want?"

"The Honored One has taken a liking to our race's capabilities."

"Oh? How did you know that?" Lin Fang pondered. Was his intent that obvious?

"While conversing with the Honored One at the hatchery, I felt a sense of crisis, something I haven't felt in a long time. Just now, that feeling peaked."

"A sense of crisis?"

Lin Fang neither affirmed nor denied this statement. Just as humans possess a sixth sense, often experiencing inexplicable warnings before encountering danger,

this mystical perception has never been unique to humans alone.

It seems this mantis shrimp is quite perceptive. Lin Fang changed the subject and asked, "What is your name?"

"Honored One, you may simply call me Kaminax. This is the unified name for each King of the Kaminax Tribe."

"Kaminax..." Lin Fang murmured the name thoughtfully.

"The King is the ruler and also the embodiment of the race," Kaminax's six limbs stretched slightly. "Each King bears the will of the entire race. The chosen individual abandons their original identity to become the symbol of Kaminax."

Lin Fang nodded. "Which generation are you?"

"The 6428th,"

Kaminax said calmly. "225 years ago, after the previous King's life was exhausted, I was chosen."

"How long can you live?"

"The longest-lived King of the Kaminax Tribe lived for 562 years."

"Is every Kaminax like this?"

"No. Giving birth severely consumes a Kaminax's life. Our race members typically only live for about 100 years."

"Why?"

Lin Fang didn't understand why they would use such a self-consuming method to perpetuate their race. If giving birth led to early death, instinct would dictate most would choose not to give birth or to give birth less.

"To escape this cage."

"Our ancestors discovered that Kaminax civilization was trapped on this planet. Two million years ago, we also ventured into the cosmos. But no matter how far we traveled, the regions we discovered were meaningless voids—no life, no civilization, not even basic material structures, all pitifully sparse."

Kaminax displayed a rare look of sorrow.

"So we returned to Andi Star and began using our own lives to nourish Wormholes leading to other dimensions. This has continued from the 1028th Tribal King to the present, in an endless cycle."

"During this time, we performed 639 sacrifices on scales of tens of millions or even hundreds of millions, yet all failed. Worse still, during the reign of the 4682nd Tribal King, we discovered this planet's resources were gradually depleting. Thus, we had no choice but to adopt the most efficient method."

"Which was to have the race members give birth to more children, increasing the efficiency of the sacrifices."

"Finally,"

Kaminax looked at Lin Fang, "five years ago, we opened a Wormhole leading to Earth. At that time, I was ecstatic, believing we had finally broken the shackles that had confined our race for three million years."

"But then the Honored One suddenly appeared."

Kaminax's voice carried an indescribable complexity of emotion. Its glowing eyes stared directly at Lin Fang, containing awe but even more a pleading grievance.

"The abilities displayed by the Honored One make me see no hope for victory for Kaminax civilization. Yet our planet is almost out of time..."

Silence fell within the room.

Kaminax looked at this mysterious young human. The hope of its race was right before its eyes. Its six limbs, originally relaxed, unconsciously tensed. It had laid bare the entire history of its civilization, hoping he would not hinder the Kaminax further.

A look of pity appeared on Lin Fang's face. "So that's the situation. You truly have no way out..."

"That is correct, Honored One."

Kaminax's eyes brightened, thinking the situation had taken a turn for the better. But the next second, it heard Lin Fang's tone shift abruptly. The pity in his eyes was instantly replaced by cold calculation.

"Excellent. It seems I've arrived at just the right time."