The scale of this Xenogeneic Tide was staggering. Theoretically, after the closure of the Akashic Eye, such a wide-scale xenogeneic erosion should no longer have occurred.
Yet the reality was that the aftershocks of the Tide remained entrenched in the former garrison site of the Golden Crow Fleet. When Sakti landed on the surface with the Armed Species, he found that the corruption had seeped into every nook and cranny; he stepped on it with every stride.
It was difficult to describe the "Tide" itself in human language.
It was like invisible ripples of water, emerging from uncertain points and spreading slowly. Once it came into contact with a living organism, it would rapidly trigger a mutation.
The Zerg’s pollution resistance was exceptionally high. They had devoured too many jumbled genes and possessed an absurd level of adaptability. They were essentially toxic entities themselves, so even exposure to the Tide did not result in immediate negative effects.
Humans were entirely different.
The Hound Squad, once built by the Mapuz Academy of Sciences at a staggering cost and armed to the teeth, had been frantically searching black market trade ships while hunting the fleet’s fugitive commander. They had accidentally opened a "blind box" containing a ship full of polluted mutants, nearly resulting in the total annihilation of the squad.
Before a true solution was discovered, the universal method for dealing with the spread of pollution from star-core energy mines was to kill all infected mutants and clear an isolation zone. They would wait until the Tide dissipated on its own before deploying a new batch of laborers to work in the pits.
Infected mutants could be killed, but the Tide itself was difficult to eradicate through human effort. The most direct method was to use devourer-type weapons to send the Tide’s carriers—the pollution-soaked earth, organisms, and attachments—away in one go, utterly annihilating them in the void of space.
Sakti had Kliman attempt to establish reverse contact with the sender of the distress signal while he and the two accompanying females cleared the xenogeneic pollution along the way.
It had to be said that Zerg technology was somewhat surreal. There were many principles Sakti didn't understand at all, but that didn't stop them from being effective.
He had once looked down on the hideous appearance of their weapons, but now he had only one thought:
*Simply divine!*
Unlike humans, who preferred hand-crafting miniature black holes, the Zerg’s equipment reflected the traits of their creators: pure voracity.
When a handful of small Devourer Bombs were tossed out, sprout-like tentacles began to take root along the ground, frantically competing with the pollutants for space.
The xenogeneic pollution was powerful, but Zerg biotechnology was equally formidable. The two sides engaged in a life-and-death struggle of encroachment.
The pollutants, which formed a film of black sludge upon contact with surfaces, clashed with the flesh-like blooming roots. Like bacterial colonies in a petri dish, they displayed shifting colors. The losing side was rapidly absorbed as nutrients, causing vast patches of strange, downy filaments to bloom across the ruins.
It looked like an exceptionally gaudy, soft tapestry.
Disgusting and absurd.
This was also why humans had engaged in localized cooperation with the Zerg high command after the armistice—some of the other side's technologies were indeed remarkable. Star-core energy and xenogeneic pollution shared the same source. The Zerg used similar methods of erosion and decomposition to purify energy stones, minimizing loss during the conversion process to support the massive power demands of the Great Information Nest and the Inner Galactic Network.
This made Sakti really want to secretly pocket a few Devourer Bombs for later research.
The commotion along the way was not small. They encountered several waves of polluted entities—mostly plants, as Kamlan truly had no animals left.
Those pitch-black things crawled incredibly fast, trailing indistinct, dripping liquid behind them as they darted around like squids swimming through the air. Even with a female’s dynamic vision, they were sometimes difficult to track.
The Armed Species squad quickly dispatched the swarming aberrations. The two younger Zerg looked like large dogs playing in the mud, fighting these things with great enthusiasm.
As long as there was a fight to be had, it was entertainment for the Zerg.
"Have you made contact?" the Core Species asked.
The tail-flicking guy followed behind him, continuously trying to trace the route to find the signal's sender.
"Not yet."
Kliman remained expressionless. He raised a hand to crush a small aberration that had launched itself at his head, then flicked away the juices clinging to his hand.
This action caused Sakti to immediately put two paces of distance between them.
They had now ventured deep into the broken architectural complex.
Most of the remains of the old human site had become dilapidated after centuries of exposure to the elements. The collapsed and broken walls were originally covered in moss, which looked like a massive black curtain when soaked in pollution. But as they cleared the way and advanced, the blackness bloomed into colorful, hallucinogenic, irregular patterns.
Fine filaments continued to bloom along the path they had come from, like a vast, deep floral carpet being dragged behind them.
This was clearly not the primary site of the former Fifth Army; it was more akin to a secondary facility cluster. Its scale was much smaller than an official fleet base.
A few buildings along the way looked somewhat usable, as if someone had made a meager effort to maintain them. However, due to various reasons—such as poor craftsmanship—they possessed a crumbling, precarious sort of beauty.
They followed the widest main road for most of the way, the Armed Species violently carving a path and slaughtering every aberration that lunged at them.
Just as Sakti began to wonder how they should plan a more detailed search if they failed to find anyone, Kliman finally caught the signal of the previous petitioner.
"Who are you?"
The other party spoke in standard Zerg Common.
Sakti leaned in close to the tail-flicker, crowding his information connector. "A transport ship of the Grey-Winged Tribe. We received your call. We have landed on the coordinate planet. Give us a specific location."
He was testing the other side, wanting to see their reaction.
As it turned out, the other party was very honest. Without a second thought, they quickly reported a set of coordinates, seemingly finding nothing wrong with summoning a group of Zerg.
*As expected.*
Sakti judged the situation based on the synchronized data from the information connector. The other party was located in a building at the end of the main road. The further they went in that direction, the greater the influence of the Tide became. Everything was saturated with pollution, not to mention the road was crowded with aberrations scurrying and crawling everywhere.
It was a perfect horror movie setting; it was understandable why they were driven to send a distress signal.
He made a gesture to the tail-flicker. Kliman immediately called back the two female companions, who were in a killing frenzy and even showing signs of their xenomorphic forms, and they headed toward the target location at full speed.
Several damaged, polluted aircraft were perched on the road, clearly left behind by previous visitors.
The Zerg went all out with their firepower, charging into the marked building and quickly activating their equipment to deploy a full isolation barrier.
The small-scale barrier shut out all the lingering aberrations and the rippling Tide, bringing the building into a relatively safe space. A large number of polluted entities clung to the shield, thudding and crashing against it, creating a terrifying "zombie siege" sensation.
The uneasy Core Species swept the interior of the building once more to eliminate potential risks, tossing out two Devourer Bombs to let them eat away all the pollution already attached to the structures.
"We’re here. Where are you?"
He signaled Kliman and the team to stay alert. This never-before-seen petitioner most likely fit his guess, but he couldn't rule out the possibility that the whole thing was a trap.
At the moment, they were well-equipped with four Core Species holding the line. Even if they were cornered, they could fight their way out on the spot.
Not to mention, an Alpha-class battleship with its orbital cannons ready was hovering right above their heads, standing by.
In the next second, the massive building vibrated, emitting the sound of grinding old metal.
The wall at the end of the hall retracted to both sides, revealing a hidden passage in the middle.
It was an all-metal corridor. The functioning lights indicated that this house still had a normal power supply, which was quite unusual for such an abandoned planet.
Three humanoid figures stood there.
The reason they were called "humanoid" was because they—or it—were wrapped too tightly.
One could only discern that they lacked wings and scaled tails; beyond that, nothing could be seen.
It was understandable. After all, when facing xenogeneic pollution, one couldn't leave a single gap, or they would end up in a body bag.
The one in the lead ran quickly toward them. Before the tail-flicker and the others could warily move to neutralize the threat, the figure had already called out. Their pace was so light that one could feel their relaxation and joy even through the outer armor suit.
"Kli—"
Then, the person came to a screeching halt a few meters away from Sakti.
"Who are you?"
The voice asked. The figure withdrew their arms, which had been ready for a hug, and reached back toward the weapon holstered at their waist.
*******
"Gela, Gela."
Xiao was a bit worried. The time the white male Zerg spent connected to the Information Nest was a bit too long this time. He could vaguely understand that the other's mental strength was extremely powerful, but he couldn't help but feel anxious. Thus, after calling out softly twice, he waited outside the independent nesting chamber.
The two cubs, who hadn't seen their favorite Zerg for a day and a half, were also crouching by Xiao’s side. They were unwilling to stand or sit properly, still retaining some beastly habits.
However, when they crowded around these males to ask for affection, their beastly nature was well-suppressed, leaving only the contented, purring sounds of a cat.
Xiao’s fear of sub-adult females was not that deep. He held one cub in each arm, pulling them to his chest.
En’s hind legs were still scrambling, but his forelimbs were firmly hugging the light brown male. "Ge... Gela."
He hissed and nudged Xiao with his head.
"He’ll be out soon."
In truth, Xiao didn't have much confidence in his own words; he could only whisper comforts to his restless companions.
The three Zerg sat outside the nest like left-behind younglings abandoned by their kin, waiting for the white male to finish his work.
In fact, Gela currently had no energy to perceive his companions' emotions.
Ja had always been isolated within an information barrier. It wasn't until Sakti went on his long journey that the Armed Species stationed at the satellite base opened a separate communication line for the two Zerg to facilitate contact.
This kind of deep-space communication had to pass through the Great Information Nest to achieve ultra-long-distance transmission without delay. The "wall" that had always loomed over their heads had cracked open a brief fissure.
Gela had hesitated for a few days. It wasn't until the Core Species told him there was an emergency rescue and that he might disappear for a while that Gela finally made up his mind.
The white male could sense that his mental strength had reached a critical point where the ice was about to break; he was only missing one or two final opportunities.
But that wasn't the most important thing. He understood what the Core Species wanted to do. The other was by no means satisfied with a tiny energy star. After obtaining production and governance rights, the information barrier was the next obstacle to overcome. They couldn't always count on the Core Gene Tribes to drop mercy from the cracks of their fingers; being passive would put his quasi-mate in danger at any time.
There would be no better opportunity than the present.
Once he realized this, he began to attempt a reverse-trace through the open permissions.
The Great Information Nest, like the human Inner Galactic Network, was the central organ of the existing Zerg race. Gaining access to the Great Information Nest would allow them to completely tear down the blocking walls of the Energy Star.
This was a dangerous operation that Sakti would likely settle scores over if he found out, but Gela was unwilling to miss it.
The male Zerg knew his own limits, and attempts within those limits were unavoidable.
No Zerg on the Energy Star was more suited for this task than him. There was a chasm-like difference between his mental strength and that of his kin. Even if he could only connect for a single instant, it was worth the risk.
Reverse-tracing the Great Information Nest would cause mental redundancy pressure to skyrocket. A hub that carried all the Core Tribes was no toy for a youngling.
After the last King died, no single Zerg could bear such a massive mental burden. The path to the collective consciousness ruins had been closed, and the Great Information Nest could only be used as an information hub.
It felt like returning to the time Sakti was competing against Katra.
In an almost unconscious state, a metallic sweetness seeped out from his respiratory and auditory organs. The excessive load even prevented his body from immediately detecting this blackout-like abnormality; even the pain was numbed along with it.
As the male Zerg’s hand gripped the link bolt in the nest, a warm liquid was dripping down his jaw.
Droplets of blood, slightly paler than red, splattered against the floor.
***
