20: Chapter 20 The Principal's Gift

[Black Armored Ant]

Classification: Xenobiological Species (Zerg)

Characteristics: Possesses a hive-mind social structure, massive size comparable to a dog, extremely high defense, astonishing bite force, and absolute obedience to the Queen Ant's commands.

Lifespan: Worker ants/soldier ants ten years, Queen Ant twenty years.

Gu Han stroked his chin, quickly deducing in his mind.

The greatest flaw of the Zerg is their lack of intelligence; they cannot provide high-quality faith, nor can they form a civilization.

However, ants possess social characteristics, where the colony is greater than everything else.

What if the Black Armored Ant were combined with intelligent creatures?

As long as he used "Forced Breeding" to cultivate a mutant Queen Ant possessing intelligence, the ant colony produced by this Queen Ant would all possess intelligence. In this way, a complete Ant-man Race civilization could be established!

The characteristics of a hive society dictate that the Queen Ant holds absolute ruling power.

Gu Han didn't need to manage those low-level Zerg at all; as long as he controlled all the Queen Ants, it would be equivalent to holding the entire Ant-man Race in his hands.

Absolute obedience, extremely fast reproduction, and fierce combat power.

It perfectly matched the ideal path in Gu Han's heart.

Gu Han took out his handheld device and was just about to switch to the trading platform to check the market price of the Black Armored Ant when an unread message suddenly popped up at the top of the screen.

It was from his homeroom teacher, Teacher Qin Lin.

"Where are you? Hurry to the principal's office. You took first place in this assessment, and the Education Bureau specifically commended our Dongjiang University. The principal wants to personally commend you."

Commendation?

Gu Han's spirits lifted. He immediately shoved the "Zerg Illustrated Handbook" back onto the bookshelf and walked quickly out of the library.

Dongjiang University Administration Building, top floor, principal's office.

As soon as Gu Han knocked and opened the door, he saw Principal Zhang Anhai sitting behind a large desk.

"Gu Han is here, come, sit, sit." Principal Zhang Anhai waved enthusiastically.

Gu Han pulled out a chair and sat down.

"I knew back then that putting you in Class One was absolutely the right decision." Principal Zhang Anhai personally poured a glass of water and pushed it over. "You rascal, you've really brought great honor to our school this time!"

"It's all thanks to the teachers' good guidance." Gu Han replied casually.

Principal Zhang Anhai waved his hand, getting straight to the point: "Let's skip the pleasantries. Your tactical decisions in the Divine Kingdom are inseparable from your excellent grades. The Education Bureau just issued a document to vigorously support the development of students' cultural courses. You played a key role in promoting this, so the school must show some appreciation."

Gu Han raised an eyebrow. This wasn't something to talk about lightly; he had finally made it to university, and now the awakening of the Divine Kingdom depended on cultural grades—the other students would hate him to death.

"After discussion by the school committee, your tuition fees for all four years of university will be waived." Principal Zhang Anhai pushed over a tuition waiver certificate.

Gu Han felt a surge of joy. Although the tuition at Dongjiang University wasn't considered high, it would still cost at least a hundred thousand credit points over four years. Saving this money would allow him to buy quite a few good things.

"In addition." Principal Zhang Anhai lowered his voice. "I will personally reward you with an E-Rank Divine Building. You can choose the type."

Gu Han was stunned. An E-Rank Divine Building!

This wasn't just an ordinary Divine Kingdom building.

A Divine Building is a top-tier item that can directly act upon the Divine Kingdom and produce special optimization effects for it.

On the market, the lowest-end E-Rank Divine Building starts at five hundred thousand credit points, making them even more precious than divine plants.

Principal Zhang Anhai is a Life Class demigod; how could he be so generous?

"Principal, this... isn't it too valuable?" Gu Han asked tentatively.

"Don't refuse." Principal Zhang Anhai leaned back in his chair, looking at him with a smile. "First, leave your Divine Kingdom coordinates with me. Go back, look through the information thoroughly, and carefully consider what type of building you need."

Principal Zhang Anhai paused, then added: "You must choose the one best suited for your Divine Kingdom's development path; don't just focus on picking the expensive ones. Once you've chosen, tell Teacher Qin Lin directly, and I can have it transmitted to you at any time."

"Understood, thank you, Principal." Gu Han immediately left his one-time Divine Kingdom coordinates for the principal.

Gu Han calculated in his heart that when he returned, he would check if there were any Divine Buildings suitable for Zerg Reproduction or capable of improving the Divine Kingdom's environment.

"Alright, the matter of the reward is settled." The smile on Principal Zhang Anhai's face suddenly faded a bit, and he rubbed his hands. "Now, let's talk about some serious business."

Gu Han's expression stiffened slightly, and his heart skipped a beat.

As expected, there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world!

Principal Zhang Anhai coughed lightly, his tone becoming somewhat unnatural: "It's like this. You took first place in this assessment, and the limelight is too great. The principals of the other universities are not very convinced."

Gu Han didn't respond, waiting quietly for what came next.

"It just so happens that the 'War God Professional League' is about to start soon. Those old guys have joined forces and specifically demanded that their students challenge you in the league."

Gu Han's eyes widened, and he pointed at his own nose: "Challenge me? Principal, are you mistaken? I have a C-Rank Divine Kingdom!"

The War God Professional League is a showcase for the top geniuses from various schools.

Those who can participate are basically elite students with S-Rank Divine Kingdoms.

This kind of league isn't just about the invasion mode; there's also the troop deployment battle mode, and he didn't even have a single species capable of fighting right now.

"You know, I was in high spirits at the time and, in a slip of the tongue, I agreed on your behalf." Principal Zhang Anhai gave a dry laugh.

Gu Han was speechless.

So, you went out to show off, and now you're making me clean up the mess.

"Principal, I really can't do this." Gu Han refused decisively. "I just finished the assessment battle, my Divine Kingdom is heavily damaged, and I don't even have a decent combat species right now. How am I supposed to fight those S-Ranks!"

"Young man, don't be so pessimistic." Principal Zhang Anhai put down his teacup and advised earnestly, "Isn't there still three months until the league starts? Three months is enough for you to cultivate a batch of powerful species."

"Three months is far from enough." Gu Han shook his head repeatedly. "Others start with high-tier species, while I have a C-Rank evaluation and no money or troops."

"I've already instructed Teacher Qin Lin. Your Class One is a key class, and many students will participate with you in this league. You can form a team and cooperate with each other then."

Gu Han fell silent; the E-Rank Divine Building suddenly didn't seem so appealing. Participating actually wasn't impossible; being able to compete with peers and see the gap was also a good training experience.

He currently had 2 million credit points in his hands, plus an E-Rank Divine Building about to come into his possession.

If the Zerg cross-Reproduction plan went smoothly, in three months, it might not be impossible to raise a sizeable Ant-men army.

But he didn't want to expose his skills so quickly; he had to make the principal bleed a little more.

"Alright then. I'll do my best." Gu Han sighed. "Can you buy me an automated cross-Reproduction machine?"

Principal Zhang Anhai was stunned for a moment, then asked suspiciously: "What do you want that thing for? You aren't following the Life Class path."

The automated cross-Reproduction machine is the latest invention developed by a biotechnology company, capable of helping Divine Lords on the Life Class path to self-cross-breed high-quality crops, and even cross-breed high-quality meat species. However, that was just advertising; the success rate of cross-Reproduction animals was negligible.

This thing wasn't cheap either, costing five hundred thousand credit points. Principal Zhang Anhai had one in his Divine Kingdom, but it had been sitting idle.

The main issue was that the success rate of this thing was too low, requiring a huge investment of experimental time costs; people without patience really couldn't manage it.

"I feel like my Reproduction skills might pair well with it. I don't have the money to hire Divine Lords for logistics. I have to make my Divine Kingdom self-sufficient."

Gu Han scratched his head and acted foolishly.

"Alright, I happen to have one, so I'll give it to you. But this thing is a huge waste of time, so don't let it delay you."

Principal Zhang Anhai advised, a resource card already appearing in his hand.

Gu Han took it with both hands and thanked him repeatedly. With this thing, he could use it as a cover to slightly reveal some strength, at least enough not to arouse suspicion.

"You have a younger sister who is also in her third year of high school, right? My requirements aren't high; as long as you can make it into the top ten, I can make the decision to waive her university tuition, and I'll give you an additional reward."

Just at this moment, a knock on the door sounded.