Chapter 79: Chapter 75: Parasitic Control, Return and Upgrade

Cheng Zhan froze on the spot!

The words that followed boomed in his ears and his heart like a clap of thunder...

He finally realized the Mother Empress was controlling his teammate’s corpse, using the body like a marionette to speak with him.

It used the human’s throat and tongue to speak in the Federation language that Cheng Zhan could understand.

Under the unblinking gaze of hundreds of eyes, Cheng Zhan stared at the grotesque scene for a long moment before finally replying with a respectful expression,

"If I can survive, I am willing to offer everything to you, Great One."

A delighted "HAHAHA" erupted from the teammate’s throat. Then, under the Mother Empress’s control, the Red-Armored Beetle that had him hooked lifted Cheng Zhan and brought him closer.

Seeing his chance, Cheng Zhan dropped the act. He used every ounce of his strength to break free from the Red-Armored Beetle’s grasp. He scrambled and stumbled, tumbling his way toward the Mother Empress’s giant mouth.

’If I can just detonate this C4 on its head, combined with the five or six Mortar shells in my pack, the Critical Strike Damage will be enough to severely wound this arrogant Mother Empress!’

However, the instant Cheng Zhan broke free, a faint blue light flashed from a teardrop-shaped egg sac that hung from the Mother Empress’s neck, attached to the body behind its head.

It not only illuminated the seven-to-eight-meter-wide oval sac but also radiated outward like a sphere of lightning, spreading throughout the entire Nest.

A second later, Cheng Zhan dashed before the Mother Empress and slammed the Detonator in his hand, but the backpack full of explosives showed no reaction whatsoever.

At first, Cheng Zhan thought it was just a short circuit. He mashed the button a few more times, but there was still no response.

Only when that familiar laughter echoed in his ears again did Cheng Zhan realize in despair that the light from behind the Mother Empress’s head had destroyed the electronic device in his hand.

The Detonator’s internal circuitry had been completely fried. Detonating C4 required the instantaneous high temperature generated by a high-voltage current.

Hearing the mockery in its laughter, Cheng Zhan pulled the last grenade from his belt, determined to take the monster down with him.

But the Mother Empress was prepared. It spat a mass of tentacles from its giant mouth, ensnaring Cheng Zhan’s entire body.

The tentacles tossed his bomb-filled backpack far away and slapped the live grenade from his hand.

A bang echoed out, but the grenade failed to create even a spark among the Red-Armored Beetle Swarm.

Then, as utter despair washed over Cheng Zhan, he heard the Mother Empress’s voice again:

"You humans are every bit as cunning as they say."

"But it doesn’t matter. Once you swallow this, even a warrior with the most resolute will shall be reduced to a mere Zerg Slave."

As it spoke, a bizarre, elongated insect resembling a dragonfly nymph crawled out of the Mother Empress’s giant mouth.

Dozens of arm-thick Zerg Eggs clung to its tail. Through their translucent membranes, you could see half-formed larvae still wriggling inside. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

As the bizarre, half-human-sized insect drew closer, Cheng Zhan’s terror and despair reached their zenith.

Even with his arms pinned again by the Red-Armored Beetle’s pincers, he clamped his mouth shut and kicked furiously at the insect as it got closer.

At such close range, however, a single glance from the Mother Empress was all it took. The still-struggling Cheng Zhan’s consciousness wavered, and he went limp, allowing the grotesque insect to crawl onto his chest and deposit a single, living egg.

The larva inside the Zerg Egg smelled the scent of a living human and quickly hatched. It scurried about, searching for an opening to burrow into his body.

It soon found the living creature’s half-open mouth...

With a wet SLURP, it slipped inside Cheng Zhan’s body.

It latched on, parasitizing his throat.

And then, Cheng Zhan lost consciousness completely.

Of the twelve special forces operatives, all were now dead. All except for him.

Humanity’s first reconnaissance mission was a failure.

And the Zerg Nest fell quiet once more.

Countless Red-Armored Beetles brought the food they had gathered to the mouth of the High-tier Mother, allowing it to continue working at full capacity, endlessly producing one Tier One Zerg Egg after another.

They would hatch into Black Spine Zergs, Cyan-winged Zergs, and other special Zerg types yet unknown to humanity.

......

Near the suburban area of Wu City, the armored RV that had escaped the Black Spine Zerg army was parked on the highway, awaiting the jeep’s return.

Lin Feng sat in the front passenger seat, watching the empty, desolate plains in the rearview mirror. Aside from the occasional Red-Armored Beetle that flashed past, there were no other signs of life.

Chen Yanyan glanced at the RV’s clock. It had been three hours since they’d left, shortly after ten in the morning. They had already been waiting here for over an hour.

"Maybe we should head back. There’s been no sign of them for so long, no explosions or anything. I’m guessing they..."

Lin Feng took a deep breath and nodded.

He wasn’t staying out of sentiment. He wanted to be there if Cheng Zhan’s group actually made it back so he could get firsthand intelligence and deepen his understanding of the Hive and the Mother Empress.

’With no sign of them for this long, the mission must have been a total failure. The chances of them escaping are slim.’

"Let’s go. We’ll contact Qin Hu when we get back."

Lin Feng had been pessimistic about this reconnaissance mission from the start. ’Cheng Zhan and his men were completely blinded by their lust for Power, losing their heads and making a fatal miscalculation.’

’In truth, the situation wouldn’t have allowed them to refuse for long anyway.’

’Right now, the relationship between the Awakened Camp and the high-level leadership is in a delicate balance. If Cheng Zhan’s team had returned safely and become Tier Two Awakeners, the status of all Awakeners would have risen. They could have completely broken free from the upper echelons’ control, perhaps even becoming the dominant force in the human resistance.’

’But if the stalemate continues, the friction between the two factions as they jockey for power will only intensify until it shatters the stability.’

’Awakeners at Tier One Perfection needed to make a high-stakes gamble, and the higher-ups tacitly approved. As long as they could kill or severely wound the Zerg Race Mother Empress and halt the Zerg Race invasion, it was a risk they were willing to take.’

’The Research Institute was probably fanning the flames from behind the scenes, too.’

’Too bad the mission failed.’

’So everything would remain the same.’

’Until the next batch of Awakeners who want to challenge the status quo step up and take the risk.’

On the drive back, Lin Feng silently analyzed the pros and cons of the mission. He was, without a doubt, the ultimate winner.

Not only had he reaped a huge amount of Upgrade Points, but his Level 18 Grenade Cannon was about to reach Perfection at lv19. He had also accumulated a large enough Upgrade Reserve for his lv13 armored RV.

In the coming days, all he needed to do was capture some live Zergs to help Chen Yanyan grind to Full Level, while also preparing for the final battle.

Lin Feng glanced at the famous actress sleeping soundly behind him. She was the only loose end that remained.

When the dust-covered armored RV returned to the service area, Lin Feng saw that Qin Hu’s jeep was already parked at the outpost. Qin Hu himself was inspecting the construction progress of the Fortress.

Seeing the RV pull up and park at the repair shop, Qin Hu came over by himself and walked under the tarp.

Looking at Lin Feng as he stepped out of the passenger seat, Qin Hu’s eyes held a trace of pity, but he still asked with a hint of reluctance,

"You’re the only ones who made it back?"

Lin Feng grunted in affirmation, then shook his head.

"There’s one more. She passed out in the RV."

Qin Hu lit a cigarette.

"The celebrity?"

Lin Feng nodded.

"She killed a Black Spine Zerg. She also got the video. The camera should still be in the back."

"I consider my mission complete. Get me the supplies you promised, and fast. But the situation you described last time was completely different from reality, so I’m raising my price."

As long as Jiang Yun’er was rescued, Qin Hu’s mission was more or less complete. Whether the special forces team made it back had little to do with him.

In fact, Qin Hu secretly hoped they would all die in the Zerg heartland. That way, no other faction could challenge his control over the Awakened Camp.

Lin Feng had completed his mission perfectly, but the reality of the situation had been a hundred times more dangerous than what Qin Hu had initially described.

That was why he hadn’t seen them off this morning—he was afraid it would be awkward.

Fortunately, it had all concluded smoothly.

Besides, Lin Feng had gotten the autograph and personal items Qin Hu wanted, which was very important to him as a father.

So he said magnanimously,

"No problem. I can set aside one hundred pairs of Black Spine Zerg Giant Mandibles for you, as well as several hundred Red Zerg Beetles."

"Your RV can become even stronger."

Lin Feng shrugged and shook his head.

"Not enough. Without those three Machine Cannons, it would’ve been impossible to rescue Jiang Yun’er. I need you to replace the six thousand shells, and I also need C4 explosives to use against the Black Spine Zerg army in the battle for Wu City."

"You owe me this. The more explosives, the better."

Qin Hu hesitated for a moment before finally agreeing.

"I look forward to your splendid performance in the coming battle."

After they finished negotiating, Qin Hu added before he left,

"The two soldiers who were with Cheng Zhan and managed to escape have been detained. They’ll be the scapegoats for this mission, so you don’t have to worry."

"You were never on the list."

Lin Feng nodded and said no more.

After Qin Hu was a good distance away, Jiang Yun’er stirred inside the RV. She rubbed her eyes, opened the side door, and climbed out.

The once glamorous celebrity now looked like a refugee, her clothes in disarray and her face drained of color.

She was covered in the stench of blood and strange-smelling zerg fluids.

Lin Feng glanced at her and said with some disdain,

"You’ve killed a Black Spine Zerg now. You just need to get some rest, eat something, lie down, and wait peacefully for your full Awakening."

"We’re back at the service area. You can go back on your own."

"If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can come find me."

"Of course, if you want to fulfill that promise you made when I saved you, I won’t refuse that either."

"But take a shower first. Clean yourself up, make yourself look pretty. I can’t stand that monster stench on you..."

Hearing his dismissal, Jiang Yun’er frowned. She looked like she wanted to say something, but she held her tongue, lowered her head, and ran back toward her own RV in the distance.

Having now witnessed Lin Feng’s power with her own eyes—he was exactly as the rumors described—Jiang Yun’er was reminded of her original goal.

Especially now that everyone she had brought with her was dead, leaving her with a single, lonely RV in the vast parking lot.

And the Thirteenth Division’s base wasn’t safe.

After the celebrity left, Lin Feng received a prompt and looked down at his lv19 Grenade Cannon. It had now reached Perfection.

An invincible, Red Quality weapon had been born.