Chapter 617: The Deviator
Chapter 617: The Deviator
Lin Sai tended to Dune's injuries and enhanced his physique, ensuring a swift recovery. After a hearty feast, they spent the next day resting.
On the second day, when the hunter was well-rested, Lin Sai inquired about the information he had gathered. Dune was then tasked with returning to the Banyan Forest.
Aside from re-establishing the hunter leader's position, Dune's return to the core of the faction was necessary.
While the Insect Nest had all the essential amenities, it was still an Insectoid environment at its core.
In the end, the Forest Capital was a more suitable habitat for humans.
Even the human subordinates stationed at the Insect Nest were rotated every half-month to prevent psychological issues.
After seeing Dune off, Lin Sai returned underground.
He headed to the Queen's Nest and opened the construction panel for the Insect Nest.
Just as the human side once had a 'University,' now known as the 'Forest Capital,' the Insect Nest also had a similar structure called the 'Mindworm Analysis Lab.'
Over the past two months, Lin Sai had not only upgraded the Insect Nest to level two but had also completed all building constructions and technological research.
His current goal was to upgrade the nest to level three.
"Level three Insect Nest," Lin Sai sighed, a hint of helplessness in his expression.
"I have enough rare resources, but the number of people... it's going to take a while."
After upgrading the Insect Nest, a unique building called the 'Cloning Pool' was added.
Its function was straightforward; for every unit produced by the Breeding Pool, the Cloning Pool could simultaneously clone one by consuming the corresponding resources.
Additionally, with the building upgrade, the construction limit of the Breeding Pool increased from three to five.
Now, the daily population growth had reached ten.
However, the issue was that upgrading the Insect Nest to level three required not only rare materials like mercury and sulfur but also a population of 3000, three times the population required for humans to upgrade to a level three base.
Lin Sai did a quick calculation.
Even if they maximized food consumption and ran the Cloning Pool at full speed, reaching a population of 3000 would take nearly a year.
Especially since the Insectoids were a rare sub-human species, unlike humans who could instantly boost their population through immigration from various regions, disregarding the negligible natural reproduction rate, the nest's breeding system was their only reliable means of growth.
"Our current population is 821. Even with the existing members, it will take over 200 days to reach 3000, almost eight months!"
Lin Sai covered his head with his hand and opened the strategic map.
His plan to counter the Invaders was progressing smoothly, even better than he had anticipated! There was no need to build an underground city.
Once the Insect Nest reached level two, an option to modify tunnel worms became available. These worms were like miniature tunnel-boring machines, rapidly digging tunnels underground.
Lin Sai, starting from the Insect Nest, was excavating tunnels to connect with the hidden underground world.
With the cold-blooded Insectoid army and their advanced information network, Lin Sai didn't even need to leave the nest.
By combining the reconnaissance capabilities of the strategic map and issuing commands from the nest, he achieved a level of command beyond imagination!
"Upgrading between bases is relatively independent."
"Even consuming the last sub-base construction permission barely adds to the resource output; it's more like a minor increase."
"Hmm... I'll keep this spot for now."
"The third base is selected as the target, and Lord Lindsey will hold off on the decision for now."
"With the Insect Nest and the Forest Capital as examples, the final option should have a unique twist to maximize the potential of this module."
"Real-time strategy is all about development and large-scale warfare."
As Lord Lindsey contemplated his future territory plans, he simultaneously assigned attack routes to his Insectoid Army.
The Insectoids had another advantage—they freed him from moral constraints.
The units produced by the Brood Pool and Cloning Pool were like the soldiers in the game, devoid of personal will and merely following orders.
Whether in combat or work, they were cold, ruthless, and efficient!
With the Eastern World as the center, the underground realm spanning hundreds of kilometers was swept clean, leaving empty structures that resembled deserted cities. Occasionally, Insectoid patrols would pass through the tunnels.
"Invaders below the fourth stage pose no threat to the Insectoid Army. But for those above, only swarm tactics can handle them."
Lord Lindsey pondered, his mind filled with knowledge about the Deviators' abilities from two months of encounters.
Aside from some unique skills developed by individuals, their abilities were clearly categorized.
The first stage Deviators were those who had just been successfully transformed but had not yet developed consciousness. They acted purely on biological instincts, and their attacks were limited to using the corrupting venom within their bodies.
Upon reaching the second stage, a faint intelligence began to awaken.
Deviators at this stage started actively consuming flesh to enhance their physical attributes or, in other words, restore their former selves.
However, the third stage presented a different scenario.
Deviators at this level possessed the intelligence of a three to five-year-old child and could manipulate their flesh to create dangerous weapons. Even the terrifying flesh bombs were a result of the subsequent development of this ability.
The danger emerged in the fourth stage.
At this point, Deviators' intelligence fully awakened, and they gained the ability to merge with the flesh of other Deviators to significantly enhance their combat capabilities. This was also the reason why ordinary Insectoids could only rely on swarm tactics.
The final fifth stage was the most troublesome for Lord Lindsey.
Deviators who ascended to become Ascended Aberrators had flesh with extreme regenerative abilities. They possessed the trait of slowly resurrecting over time unless completely destroyed!
The best solution for now was to transport them back to the Insect Nest and dispose of them in the garden as fertilizer.
"The fifth-stage abilities achieve immortality through such a twisted method."
"To those seeking eternal life, even if it means becoming mindless corpses in the early stages and having their values forcibly distorted later on, they would probably still be willing to give it a try."
Lord Lindsey shook his head in awe, recognizing the terrifying nature of the Abyssal Sect.
Their absolute power to slaughter all life, coupled with their ability to achieve immortality through resurrection, made every path they pursued utterly horrifying.
Based on the Deviators' skill attributes, Lord Lindsey had an unsettling premonition:
"Skills entirely related to flesh."
"Deploying the Insectoid forces to ensure victory in every battle is not an issue for now. But what if, one day, we encounter a sixth-stage Deviator and our entire army is wiped out..."
Lord Lindsey furrowed his brows.
While the Insectoid forces were powerful, if their corpses were taken by the enemy and infected with the Deviators' abilities, what new monsters might be created?
(End of Chapter)
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