132: Sequence 032: Mimic

The Void Realm rift unintentionally torn open by the Starry Sky Whale had long since healed, but the cold, greedy will of hunger that had seeped through in that instant clung to Mo Yuan's heart like maggots on a bone, refusing to dissipate for a long time.

Void Realm Zerg, Broodmother... These terms represented an unsettling, unknown threat far exceeding the scale of the Star Palace.

Passive defense was by no means his style; only by knowing oneself and the enemy could one seize a sliver of initiative.

How to "know the enemy"?

The existing information consisted only of the Starry Sky Whale's fragmented memories and that fleeting fluctuation of will; it was too ethereal.

He needed something more direct and essential—a sample of the Zerg themselves, especially the genetic information of potential higher-order Zerg!

His gaze turned toward the Corrosion Gold Ant Queen, which was patrolling the outer orbit of the Star Pivot, constantly devouring the remnants of the Star Palace's creations to strengthen itself.

As a sequence that had evolved from Metal-Devouring Insects, it possessed an inherently high affinity for Zerg genes, as well as the ability to devour and perform Fusion.

Perhaps... it could become a key, a key to unlock the Zerg's genetic treasury and steal its power!

An extremely bold plan quickly took shape in his mind.

"Objective: Capture a highly active Void Realm Zerg sample (as high-order as possible)."

"Executor: Corrosion Gold Ant Queen (sequence 023)."

"Plan: Utilize the Corrosion Gold Ant Queen's Zerg nature and devouring characteristics to actively approach and lure potential Zerg reconnaissance units, perform contact-based devouring, and obtain genetic fragments."

"Risk: Extremely high (may attract the Broodmother's gaze or cause mental corruption)."

"Cultivation Direction: Gene theft, mimicry camouflage..."

"Designation: [sequence 032: Mimic Insect]!"

The command was issued, and the Corrosion Gold Ant Queen silently accepted this dangerous task.

Vibrating its pair of sharp wing blades, it broke away from the patrol team and quietly slipped toward the general direction where the Void Realm rift had previously appeared—the edge of the "endless nothingness" pointed to by the Starry Sky Whale's memory fragments.

It did not travel too far, instead stopping within a belt of floating star debris. It retracted all its sharp edges and even actively simulated a faint fluctuation of star mana, acquired from previously devouring Star Palace Cultivators, becoming like a harmless, energy-containing "food," floating quietly in the Void Realm, waiting for the "fish" that might take the bait.

The wait was long and agonizing.

The edge of the nothingness was deathly silent, with only distant starlight and cold star debris.

Just when Mo Yuan was wondering if his judgment had been wrong, or if the Broodmother's vigilance was extremely high—

The Corrosion Gold Ant Queen's perception suddenly captured a trace of an extremely subtle spatial fluctuation!

The next moment, without any warning, a creature only the size of a fist, with an appearance like twisted mercury and no fixed form, appeared out of thin air not far behind the Corrosion Gold Ant Queen!

Its entire body was a matte black that absorbed all light, its surface constantly flowing and changing, with almost no energy fluctuations leaking out, as if it were a part of the Void Realm itself!

[Void Realm Lurker]! A high-order Zerg unit extremely skilled in spatial stealth and reconnaissance!

Its featureless "head" turned toward the Corrosion Gold Ant Queen, as if "sizing up" this "peer" that radiated a familiar yet somewhat strange aura.

Opportunity!

The Corrosion Gold Ant Queen did not hesitate in the slightest; driven by Mo Yuan's will, it instantly surged into a fierce attack!

Its wing blades vibrated at high frequency, its speed soaring to the limit, rushing forward like a bolt of dark golden lightning!

At the same time, it opened its hideous mouthparts, and a potent gold-melting enzyme specifically targeted at Zerg carapaces and biological tissues gushed out!

The Void Realm Lurker clearly had not expected this "peer" to suddenly launch such a swift and highly targeted attack!

It instinctively wanted to leap through space to escape, but the Corrosion Gold Ant Queen's attack was too fast and too sudden!

The gold-melting enzyme instantly corroded the special cuticle layer on its body surface that could distort light!

Hiss!

The Corrosion Gold Ant Queen's mouthparts bit fiercely into the Void Realm Lurker's body!

There was no blood, only a cold, mercury-like tissue fluid that splattered out!

The Void Realm Lurker let out a sharp, piercing screech that acted directly on the mind, its body twisting and struggling frantically, attempting to break free.

But the Corrosion Gold Ant Queen bit down hard, its massive body firmly suppressing it, while its devouring glands activated at full power, frantically extracting its biological tissues and genetic information!

The process was extremely brief, yet perilous!

The Void Realm Lurker's struggle contained the power of spatial cutting, leaving deep marks on the Corrosion Gold Ant Queen's hard carapace!

Even more terrifyingly, a cold, violent mental shockwave followed the devouring link, slamming fiercely into the Corrosion Gold Ant Queen's consciousness, attempting to backfire and even control it!

"Suppress!" Mo Yuan's cold voice rang out through the Soul link; his powerful Divine Sense, supplemented by the Laws of the Sentient Thunder Codex, forcibly helped the Corrosion Gold Ant Queen stabilize its consciousness and resist the backlash!

In just three breaths, the Void Realm Lurker was thoroughly devoured by the Corrosion Gold Ant Queen, leaving not even a scrap behind!

The Corrosion Gold Ant Queen let out a screech that was satisfied yet carried a trembling note of pain, and its body began to undergo violent, visible distortion!

The color of its carapace flickered frantically between black, silver, and dark gold; its body size expanded and contracted, and the edges of its wing blades became blurred and unstable...

It was frantically digesting, analyzing, and fusing the genes from the high-order Void Realm Zerg!

Mo Yuan did not hesitate and immediately ordered: "Return immediately! Enter the highest isolation sequence Fusion chamber!"

The Corrosion Gold Ant Queen endured the genetic conflict within its body, vibrated its wing blades, and returned to Mo City at maximum speed, diving into the pre-prepared Fusion chamber covered in Seal runes.

The chamber door closed, and massive amounts of sedatives and energy were injected, assisting it in this perilous Fusion.

On the light screen, the data representing the Corrosion Gold Ant Queen's vital signs fluctuated violently, ready to go off the charts or drop to zero at any moment.

Inside its body, two completely different yet both Zerg genetic chains were frantically attacking, devouring, and attempting to fuse!

Time passed minute by minute.

Just when the Fusion chamber was about to overload and collapse, all fluctuations suddenly subsided!

Hiss—

The chamber door slid open.

A... bizarrely formed creature crawled out slowly.

Its size was not much different from the previous Corrosion Gold Ant Queen, but its entire body presented a chaotic, grayish-black color that seemed to absorb light.

It had no fixed form; its body was like flowing liquid metal, or like solidified shadow, constantly shifting its shape slightly.

At times, it revealed the outline of the Corrosion Gold Ant Queen, then it would become like the Void Realm Lurker, and sometimes it would even flash with the vague appearances of Star Palace Cultivators, Thunder Abyss Octopus, or even the structures of Mo City!

The aura it emitted was erratic, making it difficult to accurately judge its strength, yet it carried an extremely unsettling... characteristic of nothingness and mimicry.

[sequence 032: Mimic Insect]! Descended!

Mo Yuan's mind stirred, and he pointed to a discarded piece of a Star Palace Magical Artifact nearby.

The Mimic Insect's body flowed for a moment and instantly became indistinguishable from that Magical Artifact fragment, even mimicking the material and energy fluctuations perfectly!

If one hadn't seen it with their own eyes, it would be impossible to tell!

He then pointed to a Vajra Battalion warrior who was patrolling.

The Mimic Insect flowed again, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into that warrior's appearance; the height, posture, armor, and even the cold luster in the eyes were exactly the same!

[Mimic All Things]!

It not only mimicked the form but could also, to a certain extent, simulate energy fluctuations and even simple behavioral patterns!

This was an extremely terrifying ability for infiltration and camouflage!

"Analyze its genetic memories and search for information regarding the 'Empress'." Mo Yuan issued the core command.

The Mimic Insect silently prostrated itself, ripples appearing on its body surface as it seemed to be reading and digesting the deep genetic memories from the Void Realm Lurker.

A moment later, a blurry, distorted, yet information-rich memory sequence was transmitted by it—

It was deep within a massive biomass nest that defied description, a terrifying existence as vast as a star, constantly pulsating...

Countless Zerg surrounded it like pilgrims, offering energy and genes...

It was the source of all Zerg, the ultimate core of the collective consciousness...

Zerg Empress!

Although it was just a fleeting glimpse, the terrifying level of life and genetic complexity it contained made even Mo Yuan feel a trace of shock.

"Lock onto the Empress's genetic characteristics."

"Attempt to isolate and analyze its genetic fragments."

"Prepare... highest priority cultivation protocol."

Cold and fanatical light flickered in Mo Yuan's eyes.

The success of the Mimic Insect meant he possessed the key to stealing the Zerg's supreme power.

Next was to attempt to replicate this power, even if... it was just a sliver.

The blueprint for sequence 000 slowly unfolded in his mind.