37: Chapter 37 Discovery of the Grey Dwarf Mines and Potential Competitors
Su Chen's will transformed into absolute silence.
Upon his god throne, he was no longer a chess player overlooking the board, but a predator who had reined in all auras, merging with the darkness, patiently awaiting the first tremor of the spiderweb.
Time lost its meaning in the Divine Realm.
One minute.
Ten minutes.
One hour.
Within the vast Zerg Swarm consciousness network, billions of data streams, like a surging river of stars, poured into Su Chen's mind.
The sensation of wind blowing across the prairie.
The tremor of earthworms turning soil underground.
The meaningless roars of wild beasts in the forest.
These useless pieces of information were instantly filtered and discarded by the efficient thought-processing organ the moment they touched the Overmind's will, unable to cause even a one-ten-thousandth of a second's interference.
The entire Zerg Swarm, this precise machine born for war, operated with unprecedented efficiency, driven by the Overmind's 'hungry' will.
Every Overlord was a mobile visual sensor.
Every Lurker was a vibration and energy detector delving deep into the earth's crust.
They shared the same mind, the same goal.
Search for resources.
Search for prey.
Suddenly.
A faint yet extremely sharp psychic signal penetrated the layers of information flow, accurately piercing into Su Chen's core consciousness.
This signal did not come from the sky, but from underground.
From a lonely Lurker, stealthily moving deep within the earth's crust.
[Alert.]
[High energy reaction.]
[Coordinates locked.]
Only two hours.
The first piece of truly valuable intelligence was urgently presented through the newly established Lesser Overmind network.
[Reporting, Overmind! High-value target discovered!]
Su Chen's consciousness instantly focused.
Vast spiritual energy flowed back along that signal, crossing vast spatial distances, directly taking over the Lurker's senses.
[Coordinates]: 300 kilometers deep underground, southeast of the Divine Realm.
In an instant, Su Chen's 'vision' was replaced by endless darkness and rock.
He could 'feel' the terrifying pressure of the surrounding rock layers, and 'hear' the muffled pulsations emanating from deep within the earth's core.
And in this silent underground world, a massive, irregular mineral cluster was emitting a unique and strong energy fluctuation.
It was a hard, condensed texture, filled with primal power.
The Lurker's digging claw gently scraped the rock wall, transmitting detailed data of the target back.
[Target]: Wild Gray Dwarves tribe (without divine patronage).
[Resource]: Giant Obsidian Vein!
"Obsidian?!"
Su Chen abruptly stood up from his god throne.
In his dark eyes, two points of golden light suddenly shot out, piercing the eternal gloom of the Divine Realm.
Obsidian!
His gene pool was instantly awakened, and countless evolution blueprints for high-tier Zerg units surged in his mind.
This was a rare ore whose hardness and energy conductivity had reached perfection.
It was the key material for hatching the thick carapaces of the 'Ultralisk,' the king of ground warfare!
It was the core additive for strengthening the biological shell of 'Guardians'' projectiles, giving them stronger penetrative power!
If he could completely devour this ore vein, the toughness of his entire Zerg Swarm army's armor would directly leap up a notch!
This meant lower casualties, stronger impact, and more sustained combat capability.
Just as Su Chen's will was stirred by this unexpected joy, a calm, emotionless voice sounded in his consciousness network.
"However..."
It was Zaz, the Zerg Swarm's chief strategist.
Its voice was always efficient and precise, responsible for completing all details for the Overmind's will.
"Intelligence shows traces of other divine followers' activities on the other side of the ore vein."
"Based on the trace scent information and energy residue collected by the Lurker, it appears to be the Ratmen race."
"Someone is watching?"
Su Chen's lips curved into a cold arc.
It wasn't joy, but a cruel anticipation of an even richer prey.
"Even better."
"Buy one, get one free."
His will exploded throughout the entire Zerg Swarm network, filled with absolute, unquestionable authority.
"Sarah!"
"Take the Royal Guard and go through the underground passage. Take down these dwarves for me!"
"Yes!"
Queen of Blades Kerrigan's response, filled with fanaticism and bloodthirsty battle intent, came without the slightest delay.
...
300 kilometers deep underground.
In the Gray Dwarves' tribal cave, it was hot and humid, and the air was filled with the pungent smell of sweat, metal, and rock dust.
Countless torches were stuck into the rock walls, their flickering flames illuminating the distorted gray faces, made bright and dim by exhaustion.
"Dig faster! You lazy bones!"
"Faster! For the survival of the tribe!"
Okale, the Gray Dwarves' leader, was wielding a leather whip embedded with metal barbs, fiercely lashing it across the back of a tribesman who was a bit slow.
The whip fell, tearing skin and flesh, but the Gray Dwarf only grunted and swung his pickaxe even more frantically, strenuously chipping off pieces of black ore from the rock wall.
There was no resentment in his eyes, only numbness and the desire for survival.
Okale looked at the small pile of obsidian that had accumulated, a hint of greed flashing in his eyes, but more so, anxiety.
Suddenly.
The clanging of picks ceased abruptly.
The entire mine fell into an eerie silence at that moment.
All the Gray Dwarves stopped their work, raising their heads in alarm and listening intently.
An extremely faint vibration, coming from deep within the rock layers above, made their hearts pound uncontrollably.
That wasn't the vibration of mining ore.
But a... roar of something rapidly approaching.
Okale's face changed, and he was about to scold them.
Boom!
A deafening roar erupted directly above the cave!
The incredibly hard rock layer, like a biscuit smashed by an invisible giant hand, instantly shattered.
Countless rubble mixed with scorching dust rained down like a storm.
The Gray Dwarves shrieked in terror, scattering with their heads covered.
Amidst the chaos and dust, a slender and deadly figure slowly descended.
Her bone wings on her back were grotesque yet beautiful, emitting a faint purple glow that overshadowed the surrounding torchlight.
An indescribable terrifying pressure, like solidified tide, instantly swept through the entire cave.
It was the pure life-level suppression of an Epic-Tier, Seventh-Rank being.
Under this pressure, all the Gray Dwarves felt their souls gripped by a cold large hand, and even their breathing stopped.
Behind her, the dust gradually dispersed.
In the darkness, one, ten, a hundred, thousands of scarlet compound eyes silently lit up.
That was the gaze from the depths of hell.
"This... what kind of monster is this?!"
Okale faced the figure descending from the sky, his mind blank.
His pickaxe clattered to the ground, its crisp sound particularly jarring in the dead silent cave.
That fear, originating from his bloodline, from the deepest part of his soul, drained all the strength from his body.
His legs could no longer support his body's weight, his bones groaning under the strain.
He collapsed directly to the ground.
Sarah's cold gaze swept over these trembling, small creatures, as if looking at a group of ingredients waiting to be processed.
Her voice echoed through the cave, every syllable carrying a metallic quality, resounding directly in the souls of all the Gray Dwarves.
"Surrender, or... be eaten."