46: Chapter 46 The Foundation Building of the Steel Insect Hive and the Revenge of the God of Shadows
Su Chen's gaze shifted from the description of the golden talent, Malevolent Maw.
Below Rank 8, ignore will.
These five words echoed repeatedly in his mind, each syllable striking a melody called "Absolute Control."
The curve of his lips could no longer be suppressed, finally transforming into a smile filled with ambition and power.
Forced implantation of Zerg loyalty genes.
This meant that whether it was an unruly Astral Behemoth or a steadfast Mythical Creature, as long as they were swallowed by this mouth, the core of their existence and the root of their soul would be instantly twisted and reshaped.
They would become the most loyal servants of the Zerg Swarm.
This was no longer mere control.
This was a complete transformation at the level of the laws of existence.
Su Chen stared at the dark red, flesh-and-blood maw before him, covered in barbed teeth and tangled tentacles, his gaze burning.
"This isn't just a gate; this is clearly a mouth."
A mouth capable of devouring all things and ruling the abyss.
He already had his first target in mind.
"With this, that Magma Behemoth is already as good as mine."
Retracting his focus, Su Chen's gaze moved past this new Legendary Rank building toward the distance.
The core hinterland of the entire Divine Realm had already turned into a massive construction site that shook the heavens and earth.
With the overall migration of the Gray Dwarves and the total annexation of the Ratman resources, Su Chen's Divine Realm ushered in an unprecedented era of development.
The once crude Mother Hive, composed entirely of flesh and blood tissue, was now surrounded by a boiling torrent of construction. The outlines of countless buildings were rising from the ground, like a city born from blood and fire.
"Here! Install obsidian load-bearing pillars! You weaklings, haven't you eaten?!"
A coarse roar exploded over the construction site.
The Gray Dwarf leader, Okale, the former Dungeon Lord, was currently waving a massive engineering blueprint, barking orders at his clansmen with spit flying everywhere.
Under his command, hundreds of bare-chested Gray Dwarf miners with knotted muscles were working together to drive obsidian pillars—over three meters in diameter and engraved with complex magic runes—deep into the ground with heavy power hammers.
Every hammer strike was accompanied by a dull boom and the trembling of the earth.
On the other side of the construction site, the style was completely different.
The massive, furrowed brain-body of the Cerebrate Zaz floated in mid-air, with countless translucent neural tentacles extending from its surface, precisely connecting to the mental network of every Drone below.
"Overmind command: Biomass fusion preparation..."
"Psionic vascular laying in progress..."
Its voice did not travel through the air but rang directly in the mind of every unit, cold and efficient.
Thousands of massive Drones acted like the most precise mechanical arms under its command. They opened their mandibles and spat out large quantities of purple biological slime that emitted a sweet, fishy scent.
The slime covered the hard, cold obsidian pillars, making a faint "hissing" sound.
The Firmness of the Dwarven creations and the writhing Zerg flesh began a perfect fusion under the effect of this peculiar adhesive.
Standing at the highest point of the Divine Realm, Su Chen looked down at this spectacular and eerie scene, his eyes full of undisguisable anticipation.
"This is the masterpiece I want—the Iron Hive."
This was no longer a simple flesh-and-blood Spawning Pool.
This was a super fortress that combined the peak biological technology of the Zerg Swarm with the exquisite mechanical forging techniques of the Gray Dwarves.
An ultimate war bastion that integrated defense, production, and research!
"Overmind."
Zaz's emotionless thought echoed in Su Chen's mind.
"According to calculations, once the Iron Hive is initially completed, our Larvae hatching speed will increase by 300%, and all basic units hatched through the Iron Hive will inherently possess the 'Weak Armor' trait."
Even Zaz's absolutely rational core of thought revealed a hint of uncontrollable fanaticism at this moment.
"Very good."
Su Chen issued his command.
"At all costs, work day and night."
His gaze fell upon the massive semi-mechanical, semi-biological tower rising at a visible speed, and a sense of indescribable satisfaction welled up in his heart.
This was the purest, most primitive joy belonging to a base-building player.
However, beneath the calm expansion, undercurrents were always surging in the depths.
The tree wants to be still, but the wind will not stop.
Just as Su Chen was immersed in the joy of being a construction maniac, in a certain underground hollow not far from his Divine Realm, a malice sufficient to subvert everything was awakening.
Shadow Divine Realm.
A temporary base filled with the scent of decay and resentment.
The God of Shadows stood on a high bone altar, the ground beneath his feet composed of countless twisting and struggling shadows.
Just now, he had received the reward he dreamed of from the hands of that high-and-mighty Lich King.
At this moment, he was in a state of frenzy after his power had expanded rapidly.
"Hahahaha! Power! This is true power!"
He spread his arms, and his sickly, wild laughter echoed in the vast underground Divine Realm, making the shadows tremble.
Behind him, a colossal creature slowly raised its body from the darkness.
It was a Bone Dragon over a hundred meters long.
Every one of its bones showed a deathly pallor; between its massive ribs and within its hollow eye sockets burned a pale, viscous soul fire.
That was not fire; it was the manifestation of pure death and resentment.
A world-destroying death energy crazily spread in all directions with the Bone Dragon as its center.
The God of Shadows leaped up and landed steadily on the Bone Dragon's broad back. He reached out his hand, feeling that bone-chilling yet terrifyingly powerful death energy, and the last trace of fear in his heart had long since vanished.
This is Rank 8!
A Rank 8 Legendary Rank creature!
In the demigod stage where they struggled to survive, possessing a Rank 8 Legendary creation was almost equivalent to being invincible!
"That old thing, the Lich King..."
A look of extreme disdain and a cold smile appeared on the God of Shadows' face as he recalled the high-and-mighty posture of the Lich King and that charity-like command.
"He actually wanted me to act as bait? To lure out that bug named Su Chen?"
"It's simply redundant!"
He spat, his voice filled with long-suppressed resentment.
"With this Rank 8 Phantom Bone Dragon, do I still need to lure him?"
"I'll just steamroll right over!"
The newly obtained powerful force and the deep-seated old hatred intertwined and fermented in his heart, finally burning away his last shred of reason.
That despicable bug god!
Not only did he destroy his subordinate god and snatch his believer resources, but he also forced him to abandon his dignity and wag his tail like a dog to beg the Lich King for mercy!
This humiliation!
This irreconcilable blood feud!
Must be washed away with the blood and divine soul of that bug god!
"Boys!"
The God of Shadows held his scepter high, and the shadow gem at its tip erupted with dense black light.
"All of you, come out!"
The shadows beneath his feet began to writhe violently, and thin, wretched figures emerged from within, quickly gathering into an army.
Ten thousand Shadow Ratmen.
This was the last of his family assets.
Although the number was small, the God of Shadows' confidence had expanded to the extreme.
His gaze swept over the trembling Ratmen below, his voice carrying a condescending arrogance.
"That bug god thinks he's won for sure?"
"He has no idea what true foundation is!"
"He has no idea what Rank 8 power means!"
The God of Shadows slammed his scepter down, and the Bone Dragon beneath his feet let out a silent roar, soul fire soaring into the sky.
"Bone Dragon!"
"Take flight!"
He pointed in a direction where Su Chen's Divine Realm was located.
"Target: Zerg Divine Realm! Kill our way back!"
His voice became sharp and distorted due to extreme hatred.
"Today, I will tear that Su Chen into ten thousand pieces!"
"I will crush his bugs, one by one, into meat paste!!"
Rumble—
The massive Phantom Bone Dragon's wings suddenly unfurled, wings composed of countless bones and soul flames.
As it flapped its wings, the ground cracked violently, and the death energy in the sky turned into a storm, carrying the God of Shadows' endless hatred and madness as it whistled toward Su Chen's Divine Realm.