61: Chapter 61 Full Access to the Gene Bank and Mass Production of Biochemical Weapons
That proclamatory will echoed over the Divine Kingdom, lingering for a long time, eventually turning into cold killing intent that settled deep within Su Chen's pupils.
To speak is to decree the law.
To act requires power.
The moment [Silverwing Archer · Andra] returned to his position, a majestic, pure Power Of Faith carrying the rhythm of the sky transformed into a vast river of starlight, crossing the void and pouring directly into Su Chen's sea of consciousness.
Resources were once again abundant.
However, Su Chen's gaze moved away from those five dazzling Saint stars, slowly descending and penetrating the layers of the Iron Hive's structure, finally landing on the most inconspicuous yet most expansive Hatchery.
The Five Great Saints were the five pillars supporting the Zerg Swarm and the five sharp blades meant to pierce the barriers of divine kingdoms.
But that wasn't enough.
Far from enough.
“High-end combat power determines the upper limit of a war, but what truly makes the gods feel fear and makes the entire universe tremble has never been a few powerful heroes.”
Su Chen's consciousness whispered throughout the entire Zerg Swarm network.
“It is a natural disaster.”
“It is the endless, star-drowning, plane-devouring... Sea of Insects.”
His will descended over the Hatchery, and the interface of the God Shop unfolded silently before his eyes—a light screen composed of pure data and laws, displaying treasures enough to drive any demigod insane.
Su Chen's gaze did not linger, locking directly onto a special God Card flashing with an eerie green light.
Its price was a shocking figure.
Ten million.
This was almost all the Power Of Faith that Andra's clan had just contributed.
Su Chen's will showed no ripple as his fingertip tapped directly down.
[Consumed ten million Power Of Faith to purchase Special God Card: Accelerated Cell Division (Tier 3)]
Even before the notification sound of the successful purchase faded, his second command was already issued, cold, efficient, and devoid of emotion.
“Mother Hive, load the God Card.”
“Activate ‘Troop Spawning Mode’!”
The moment the command was given, the massive biochemical reactor at the heart of the entire Iron Hive emitted a dull roar. Thick biomass energy pipes lit up one by one like the blood vessels of a giant beast, transporting majestic energy to every corner.
“Target Gene Locked: Ratman.”
“Extracting Trait: Fertility.”
“Target Gene Locked: Swamp Roach.”
“Extracting Trait: Limb Regeneration.”
Su Chen's voice echoed within the Mother Hive's computing core, every word transforming into a precise gene compilation command.
“Fusion Plan Confirmed.”
“Eliminate pain nerves, strip individual will, compress survival requirements.”
“Final Goal: Create an extremely cheap, extremely ferocious, disposable consumable that can survive for seven days on internal energy reserves without needing to eat.”
Buzz—!
The roar of the reactor reached its peak.
Inside the Hatchery, tens of thousands of Larvae eggs were sent into incubation chambers via conveyor belts. Countless needles flashing with metallic coldness pierced into them, precisely injecting a bubbling green catalyst.
Three days passed.
Within the Divine Domain, only that massive factory continued to operate without end.
On the morning of the third day, the first sound of cracking rang out.
Crack.
Immediately following was a second, a third... finally, they converged into a dense explosion of sound, like heavy rain hammering on sheet metal!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Two thousand hideous creatures tore through their slippery eggshells and struggled to stand up.
They were only half the height of a human, with hunched backs and bodies covered in a layer of coarse, foul-smelling keratin. They had no eyes; instead, there were two constantly twitching deep olfactory holes. Most terrifying were their mutated arms—not hands or claws, but two sharp bone scythes growing out of the flesh, completely integrated with the skeleton.
Broken eggshells and viscous fluids still hung from the scythe blades.
[New Unit Type Calculation Complete: Scythe Deathsworn]
[Tier: Tier 2]
[Cost: Extremely Low (Only one-tenth of a standard Zergling)]
[Traits: Recyclable Corpse, Limb Regeneration, Painless]
As they broke out of their shells, five hundred more agile 'Evolutionary Zerglings' silently joined the ranks in the incubation chambers on the other side. Their black carapaces shimmered with a metallic luster, reflecting the cold light of the incubation lamps. The fangs at the corners of their mouths were thicker, and every breath puffed out white acidic gas.
Su Chen's will looked down from above.
On one side was a silent and hideous black tide.
On the other was a hungry and bloodthirsty crustacean torrent.
He felt no joy, only a matter-of-fact calmness.
Now this looks more like it.
This is the true prototype of what an insect sea should be.
With a thought, his divine sense instantly crossed the vast creep, sweeping over a mining area being frantically excavated.
“Baghdad.”
Baghdad, who was supervising at a mine entrance and barking orders at those Ratman miners, suddenly stiffened.
That voice didn't come from his ears; it exploded directly in the deepest part of his soul.
It was the voice of the Overlord!
“Thud!”
This cunning and wretched Ratman leader didn't hesitate for even a second, throwing himself prostrate and burying his head, full of grey stray hairs, deep into the creep mixed with slag.
The surrounding Ratman miners were also so terrified they dropped their pickaxes and followed suit, prostrating themselves and trembling, not daring to make a sound.
“You have done well.”
Su Chen's voice carried no emotion, yet it held supreme majesty.
“Whether it is the mining efficiency or the ‘Ratman Gene’ you contributed, the Zerg Swarm is very satisfied.”
“The Zerg Swarm rewards and punishes clearly.”
The moment the words fell, the air in the void before Baghdad began to warp.
A drop of blood emerged out of thin air.
It was only the size of a fingernail, yet it seemed to contain a terrifying world. Dark red light flowed within it, emitting a tyrannical and unreasonably violent aura originating from the very top of life's hierarchy.
[Tyrant's Blood]!
“Drink it.”
Su Chen's voice carried an irresistible magic.
“I grant you new life.”
New life!
These two words struck Baghdad's soul like thunder.
He snapped his head up, his cloudy rat eyes instantly filled with a frantic, desperate longing. He saw that drop of blood suspended in the air like a dying traveler in the desert seeing an oasis.
He lunged forward with all his strength, opening his mouth wide and swallowing the drop of blood in one gulp.
“Roar—!!”
In the next second, a scream so shrill it didn't sound like it came from a living creature erupted from Baghdad's throat.
Pain!
Indescribable pain!
It felt as if billions of red-hot steel needles were frantically churning within every cell of his body.
He rolled on the ground, his bones making popping sounds like roasting beans. His originally hunched and wretched frame seemed to be injected with a high-pressure air pump, expanding frantically at a visible rate.
Grey fur fell off in patches, replaced by a thick, hard black keratin layer; hideous bone spikes even grew out of his back. His height shot up from less than a meter, breaking through two meters and finally settling at three meters tall!
The pickaxe he used to show off his authority was casually crushed into fragments by his ballooning palm with a 'crack'.
Immediately after, the flesh around him writhed, and an even larger, heavier bone hammer slowly condensed into shape on his right hand.
[Congratulations Overlord, gene modulation successful. Obtained the sixth Saint: Ratman Overlord · Baghdad!]
The Ratman mining foreman who only knew how to flatter and bully the weak had vanished.
In his place was a three-meter-tall terrifying monster emitting a violent aura, wielding a giant bone hammer.
He would become the commander of the Zerg Swarm's lowest level.
He would lead those endless Scythe Deathsworn, becoming the cheapest and sharpest blade in the Overlord's hand.
With this, the Zerg Swarm's cannon fodder system was completely finalized!