12: Chapter 12: Zerg Space Upgrade, Mass Recruiting Begins!!

It took another full hour before Gu Yuexi, who had been sitting cross-legged, slowly opened her eyes and exhaled a long breath of turbid air tainted with a bloody scent.

Her complexion remained somewhat pale, but her eyes were much brighter than before.

"Mid-First Grade..." As she felt the power of her Qi and blood, which had grown significantly, she finally felt a sense of comfort in her heart.

To break through from Early-First Grade to Mid-First Grade in just one day—if this cultivation speed were to get out, it would be enough to shock the entire Jiangcheng Spirit Martial High School!

This 《Ten Thousand Beast Melting Furnace Art》 was truly domineering!

However, she also clearly felt the increasingly intense mental impact from the violent will within the Spirit Green Snake's essence blood. If not for the willpower from her previous life as an Emperor Realm expert, which she used to forcibly suppress it, she feared she would have been "beastified" long ago.

"I still need to get my hands on a 'Pulse Protecting Pill' as soon as possible..." Gu Yuexi calculated inwardly, her gaze falling once again on the Spirit Green Snake carcass before her.

However, after just one glance, she froze.

"Hm?"

Gu Yuexi frowned slightly, a flash of confusion crossing her eyes.

Why did it feel... like the snake's carcass was a little more shriveled than it had been a moment ago?

Was it just my imagination? Or perhaps my high level of mental concentration during cultivation had skewed my perception?

Gu Yuexi couldn't make sense of it. Subconsciously, she turned her head and glanced at the mosquito on the table.

Chu Sheng was lying there motionless, his belly swollen like a ball, his entire body a deep, dark red. He looked as if he were sleeping after overeating.

"..."

Gu Yuexi stared at him for several seconds, and an absurd thought surfaced in her mind.

Damn it, could this little guy have stolen some to eat?

But as soon as the thought appeared, she dismissed it herself.

Impossible! Absolutely impossible!

That was the essence blood of a high-level bloodline monster! The energy contained within was incredibly violent!

Not to mention a tiny mosquito, even an ordinary First Grade monster would face only one outcome if it dared to consume it directly—exploding and dying on the spot!

Although this mosquito was a mutant, it was still essentially a fragile insect; how could it possibly withstand that?

"I must be overthinking it..."

Gu Yuexi shook her head, casting the unrealistic speculation from her mind, and attributed it to her own overexertion and mental fatigue from cultivation.

She carefully packed the Spirit Green Snake's carcass back into the bag and shoved it under the bed. This represented her entire hope for reaching the rank of Second Grade martial artist over the next half month, and she could not afford any further loss.

Meanwhile, Chu Sheng, who was pretending to be dead on the table, heard her every thought clearly and nearly laughed out loud.

"Congratulations, you guessed right! Too bad there's no reward!"

"Explode and die? You're underestimating a System owner, aren't you? It's just that my stomach capacity is limited; otherwise, I would have sucked you dry into a snake skin today!"

Chu Sheng gloated inwardly while anxiously waiting.

The energy in this high-level bloodline snake blood was far too vast; the System indicated that the digestion time would take a full three hours!

He could only lie on the table, pretending to be "sleepy after a meal" while silently enduring the sensation of the energy rampaging through his stomach. It felt like he'd downed a whole bottle of concentrated caffeine, leaving the entire mosquito in a state of both agitation and discomfort.

After tidying up, Gu Yuexi was indeed exhausted. She gave a quick wash and lay down on the bed, drifting off to sleep.

For her, too much had happened today, and the mental exhaustion was immense; she needed a good rest.

The night gradually deepened. In the rental apartment, only the young girl's steady breathing remained.

Finally, at a little past 3:00 AM, the long-awaited, heavenly sound Chu Sheng had been waiting for rang out right on time!

[Ding! Blood digestion complete. Evolution Points +2.1! Lifespan +3 days!]

[Panel Updated!] [Host: Chu Sheng] [Race: Primary Mutant Blood Mosquito] [Lifespan: 33 days] [Qi and Blood: 6.1] [Evolution Points: 3.0] [Grade: None] [Skills: Mother Mosquito Mouthparts Lv2, Blood Food Tracking Lv1, Zerg Space Lv1] [Reminder: The next evolution requires reaching 10 Qi and Blood and consuming 1 Evolution Point!]

It was time! Chu Sheng suddenly "opened" his eyes, a sharp glint radiating from his black, bean-sized eyes!

He could feel his belly, which had been on the verge of bursting, instantly deflate. In its place, a purer, more powerful force surged into his limbs and bones!

His physique had grown stronger once more!

"3 Evolution Points!" Chu Sheng looked at his panel, feeling absolutely delighted.

"System, upgrade [Zerg Space]!" He issued the command in his mind without hesitation.

[Ding! Consumed 2 Evolution Points. 'Zerg Space Lv1' has been upgraded to 'Zerg Space Lv2'!]

[Zerg Space Lv2: The Host can store any insect of the same grade within the 'Zerg Space'. Insects stored in the space will unconditionally obey the Host's commands! The current Zerg Space can accommodate 500 insects! The Host's mental load is significantly reduced!]

The moment the upgrade was complete, Chu Sheng felt the small, previously crowded space in his mind suddenly expand more than tenfold!

The faint dizziness he had felt when controlling his five mosquito minions before had completely vanished, replaced by a sense of ease and total control, as if they were extensions of his own limbs!

"Awesome! Absolutely awesome!"

Chu Sheng excitedly flapped his wings, wishing he could roar at the sky... oh wait, that wasn't right; he should "buzz" at the sky instead!

"It's time to assemble my first mosquito legion!"

Chu Sheng glanced at Gu Yuexi, who was sleeping soundly on the bed, and quietly flew toward the window.

This dilapidated, old-fashioned window was full of cracks along the frame; to him, it was practically a highway leading in all directions.

He easily slipped through and emerged into the pitch-black hallway outside.

A damp, putrid stench, mixed with the smell of all sorts of household waste, hit him head-on.

If it were the Chu Sheng from before, he probably would have died on the spot upon smelling this.

But now, as a mosquito, he was completely immune to these odors; he even found them somewhat... nostalgic?

"This place is practically an insect paradise!"

Chu Sheng excitedly rubbed his front legs together. Although [Blood Food Tracking] primarily tracked blood, it still allowed him to perceive living organisms. He could clearly "see" that this dilapidated residential building was hiding countless "potential recruits"!

He didn't rush to recruit more of his own kind. While mosquitoes were numerous, their combat power was practically zero, and they were too conspicuous—their constant buzzing made them easy to expose.

"Better find some thick-skinned cannon fodder first!"

Chu Sheng had a plan in mind. He flew along the corner of the wall all the way to the trash heap downstairs.

There, it was practically a grand insect party!

At a single glance, he locked onto a group of "little strongs" gnawing on rotten vegetable leaves—cockroaches!

[Ordinary Cockroach: No Grade, tenacious vitality, adept at squeezing through cracks...]

"Although they're a bit disgusting, these things have tenacious vitality. They're known as the 'immortal little strongs,' making them the perfect match for meat shields and scouts!"

Chu Sheng calculated inwardly. With a thought, he targeted the largest, fattest cockroach among them.

"Collect!"

Whoosh! The cockroach vanished from the spot instantly and appeared within the [Zerg Space] in his mind.

It worked!

Chu Sheng felt a mental link establish itself with the cockroach. He could even see, through the cockroach's perspective, the few mosquito minions shivering in the space.

"Not bad, not bad. Let's continue!"

Chu Sheng was feeling inspired and began his "Great Recruitment" plan.