51: Chapter 51 The Birth of the Void Stalker and Intelligence on the Mithril Mine
The hard sensation from the skull of the completely new 'Bone Zergling' still lingered on Su Chen's fingertips.
The cruel smile of a hunter in his eyes slowly receded, returning to an unfathomable calm.
The generous Lich King had delivered a perfect answer regarding 'quantity'.
Bone Armor could make his Zerg Swarm tactics several times more effective, drowning and crushing enemies with an endless tide of low-tier units.
But this didn't solve all problems.
Su Chen's will sank deep into the entire Iron Hive, opening his eyes on the overlords throne.
Divine Realm, deep within the Iron Hive.
He sat cross-legged on the overlords throne, his consciousness withdrawing from the macroscopic transformation of the entire Cannon Fodder Legion, focusing on his palm.
A black fragment, emanating a dark aura, floated quietly.
It reflected no light, instead acting like a miniature black hole, devouring all surrounding light and heat, with spatial distortions at its edges almost imperceptible to the naked eye.
This was the core divine portfolio stripped from the shattered divinity of the God of Shadows after he was slain.
Shadow/Stealth Divine Portfolio.
Su Chen's fingertips gently caressed the edge of the fragment; a bone-chilling cold seeped from his skin into his nerves, carrying a temptation to bring all things to silence and pull them into ultimate darkness.
"Ordinary Zerg units, while vast in number, are ultimately lacking in high-end infiltration and assassination."
His mind rapidly searched through the massive database.
Neither the behemoths of the frontal battlefield nor the overwhelming Zerg Swarm could deliver a precise, one-hit-kill strike against core targets hidden behind layers of protection.
Facing deities or top-tier powerhouses with Firmness fortresses and powerful guards, relying solely on the Zerg Swarm for attrition would result in an extremely unfavorable casualty ratio.
He needed a deadly dagger hidden in the shadows, capable of plunging straight into the enemy's heart.
Su Chen's gaze became utterly cold, without the slightest ripple.
A light flick of his finger.
The divine portfolio fragment made no sound, instantly vanishing from its spot, transforming into a pure shadow undetectable by sight, and directly submerging into a separate psionic energy incubation pool below.
The pool water was viscous, like black mercury, and a Lurker Leader whose gene sequence had been optimized to its limit was sleeping within it, awaiting its final metamorphosis.
"Activate Talent: Infinite Gene Evolution!"
Su Chen's will transformed into a mental command, like a decree from the dawn of creation, heavily striking the incubation pool.
Boom!
The entire incubation pool instantly boiled violently!
The viscous black liquid churned wildly, forming a giant vortex, and at the center of the vortex was the Lurker Leader, invaded by the divine portfolio fragment.
Its massive body was torn and dissolved within the vortex; every inch of its carapace, every muscle fiber, was breaking down into its most primitive genetic information.
Immediately after, that divine portfolio fragment released endless darkness.
A psionic energy cocoon, black and profoundly deep, rapidly formed, enveloping all genetic material and shadow divine power.
It wasn't a physical entity, but a twisted point of light and space, devouring everything around it, so much so that even the biological light within the hive could not illuminate its outline.
Time lost its meaning.
Perhaps an instant, perhaps a century.
When the first crack appeared in the center of that ultimate darkness, a bone-deep chill instantly spread.
"Crack..."
The light cocoon didn't shatter but collapsed inward; all energy and matter were compressed into a singularity, then silently annihilated.
In its place, a slender, strangely outlined creature slowly emerged.
It was more delicate than the original Lurker, yet far more lethal.
Its body was covered in a translucent carapace, seemingly made of solidified shadows, which eerily refracted and distorted light, leaving afterimages on the retina, making it impossible to accurately target.
It had no eyes; its smooth head bore only a few psionic energy sensing tentacles, clear as black crystal, gently trembling with the slightest energy fluctuations in the void.
Most chilling were its scythe-like forelimbs.
These forelimbs sometimes solidified, presenting an obsidian-like texture; at other times, they became illusory, as if they could merge into spatial rifts at any moment, constantly switching between reality and illusion.
Ding! Evolution successful!
Obtained Tier 7 Epic-Tier unit: Void Stalker (Hero)
Talents: Permanent Invisibility, Void Warp, Shadow Harvest
Su Chen's will descended upon this newly born unit, instantly reading all its information.
Permanent Invisibility was not simple optical camouflage, but a shift of its existence state from the physical plane to the shadow dimension, completely disappearing from most detection methods.
Void Warp, a short-range spatial jump ability, ignoring physical obstacles, was the ultimate guarantee for assassination and escape.
Shadow Harvest, every attack would be imbued with the shadow divine power from the divine portfolio, causing irreversible annihilative damage to the soul and life essence.
"Very good."
The corner of Su Chen's mouth curved into a subtle arc, indicating satisfaction.
This dagger was sharp enough.
Just as he was about to issue the first command to this Void Stalker to test its extreme capabilities, the space before him suddenly rippled.
The tall and powerful figure of Queen of Blades Sarah materialized from illusion to reality, forming a clear psionic energy projection.
The moment she appeared, she knelt on one knee, her movements crisp and efficient, full of a soldier's iron will and effectiveness.
"Overlord, good news from the front!"
Sarah's voice echoed directly through the mental link, cold and clear.
"We have discovered an astonishingly rich Mithril Vein deep in the mountains east of the Divine Realm!"
"Mithril?"
Su Chen's attention instantly shifted from the newly born hero unit, and the cold light in his eyes slightly condensed.
This was a top-tier material for crafting high-grade Zerg carapaces and bio-skeletons!
The evolution of the Zerg Swarm not only depended on the consumption of biomass but also required these rare minerals containing special energy and laws.
With ample Mithril, he could even perform a comprehensive armor upgrade for units like the Ultralisk, Guardian, and leviathan, causing a qualitative leap in their defense.
"However, a tribe of 'Silver Centaurs' is entrenched there."
Sarah's report continued, her voice devoid of emotion, simply stating facts.
"According to the analysis of the last information stream sent back by the vanguard, the enemy possesses three Epic-Tier powerhouses, whose strength is no different from the tribal chief's."
"Furthermore, all members of this tribe are equipped with a special silver longbow, and their arrows carry extremely strong magic-breaking properties. Our vanguard Zergling units are accurately shot down within a thousand meters of them; their chitinous carapaces provide no effective defense."
A blurry combat scene flashed in Sarah's projection.
Streaks of silver light streaked across the sky, and nimble Zerglings were completely purified and evaporated the instant they touched the light, leaving not a single drop of bodily fluid.
"Magic-breaking property? Epic-Tier?"
Su Chen slowly rose from the throne.
The massive bone wings behind him were not decorative but a manifestation of power. As he rose, they silently unfurled, casting a sky-obscuring shadow that caused the temperature of the entire Overlord's Hall to drop by several degrees.
The newly born Void Stalker seemed to sense the Overlord's will, its smooth head turning slightly, its sensing tentacles pointing in the direction of Sarah's projection.
"In this world, there is nothing the Zerg Swarm cannot devour."
His voice was not loud, yet it carried an absolute, unquestionable will, echoing through the vast hall.
"Since Zerglings cannot get close..."
Su Chen's gaze fell upon the Void Stalker beside him.
The terrifying assassin's form flickered, like ink dropped into water, instantly fading and distorting, finally disappearing completely into the air, leaving not a single trace.
"Then let them witness what is called terror from the void."