The wasp Zerg’s stinger gleamed coldly, the long blade cutting through the air with a tense whistle. Shi Yuxing’s breath stopped—his feet seemed nailed to the ground.
The next second, a loud “BANG” rang out. His ears, like the wasp’s body, were pierced by bullets. A streak of blood flew from the wasp Zerg’s abdomen as it was shot through. A soldier beside him reacted first and pulled him back just as the Zerg crashed to the ground—fortunately, no one was injured.
Before Shi Yuxing could breathe a sigh of relief, an even greater commotion came from the bushes. This time, even those with poor hearing could detect the eerie noise. The special forces soldiers raised their guns with synchronized clicks, aiming at the source. Gu Lingzhou raised one hand, controlling everyone’s triggers.
“Rustle!”
Gu Lingzhou dropped his hand and roared: “FIRE!!!” The relentless gunfire shredded the leaves, riddling Zerg corpses with bullet holes. After a long moment, Gu Lingzhou raised his hand again, calling a halt to the fierce barrage.
The Zerg on the ground were burned through by bullets, white smoke rising from them, blood pooling everywhere. Shi Yuxing stood on tiptoe among the alphas and betas, peering toward the source. As expected—these Zerg had dug tunnels everywhere, waging tunnel warfare against them.
Just then, a thunderous roar came from where the sky met the earth. Rolling black smoke rose and merged with the dark gray sky.
Gu Lingzhou spun toward the explosion. For an instant, shock flashed through his dark pupils—then it was gone. His expression darkened as he shouted: “Everyone—move out to support!” He pulled out his phone as he ran.
He had just made contact with the reinforcement team—he hadn’t expected the Zerg to intercept them mid-route.
Amid the rising black smoke, faint orange-red flickered—then another earth-shaking explosion.
“BOOM—”
The very ground trembled. Refugees huddled together, silently praying.
Wen Lan’s mech was pushed back two or three meters by the massive heat wave. The scythe Zerg’s blade-like jaws had crushed several of his subordinates. He bit his lip, holding his breath as he swung his arm and shouted: “DIE!”
The scythe Zerg’s swallowing motion paused. The mech sliced off one of its eyes. The disgusting creature let out a piercing shriek. Unyielding warriors fell broken from the Zerg’s mouth, their faces twisted in pain, blood flowing from their seven orifices—even in death, they hadn’t loosened their grip on their guns.
Three or four giant wasp Zerg attacked the mech together. Blades splattered with blood. Distracted for a moment, the mech was sent flying by the scythe Zerg’s jaw.
Inside the cockpit, Wen Lan’s back slammed against the cold steel. He gasped in pain. Once the mech fell, it was hard to get back up. His heart sank—the one-eyed scythe Zerg leaped and crashed down onto the mech, pinning it into the dirt. Wen Lan’s back took another blow, his spine throbbing.
The Zerg’s hard blade-like mouth was about to strike—when a blade sheath neatly severed its head with a “shing.” Thick, foul blood splattered across the entire screen. Wen Lan was pulled up by Gu Lingzhou’s mech. The two steel giants collided amid the gunfire.
Wen Lan regained control of his mech, smiling bitterly: “Thank you, General—or I’d have died here.”
“You’re too weak,” Gu Lingzhou said coldly, decapitating another wasp Zerg.
A mocking smile curled at the corner of Wen Lan’s mouth. “General, have you ever heard the saying—it’s okay to be weak, but you can’t die. Only the living are entitled to everything.”
Gu Lingzhou knew exactly what this guy was thinking. A cold laugh escaped his nose. Without turning his head, he swiftly pierced a Zerg trying to sneak up on him. As he smoothly withdrew his blade, he said darkly: “Let me tell you, Wen Lan—even if I die, I’ll crawl back from hell. My things are mine, even in death. Don’t even think about it.”
The General’s voice carried through the communicator to everyone. Shi Yuxing and the others arriving from the rear happened to catch Gu Lingzhou’s words. Those in the know and those not all broke into a cold sweat. Everyone in the military knew the General kept the camellia Shi Yuxing had given him in a freezer. And Shi Yuxing himself knew exactly what the two of them were talking about. He pinched the bridge of his nose, speechless.
What kind of time is this? Can you please not lose your mind!!!
Shi Yuxing was about to open the back door of the starship when the soldier in the driver’s seat stopped him and locked all the doors. “The General said you’d be safer staying here. I’ll guard you right here.”
Shi Yuxing: ???
“Which General?” Shi Yuxing raised an eyebrow.
The soldier hesitated, then under Shi Yuxing’s pressing gaze, finally spoke: “All… all of them.”
Shi Yuxing looked away and began inspecting the starship’s interior. This was his first time riding in a military vehicle.
Military starships were far more advanced than ordinary civilian ones—built with sturdy materials, reinforced modifications, even rocket launchers mounted on the roof. It was essentially a small tank.
“Comrade,” Shi Yuxing said, looking at the rearview mirror and choosing an appropriate address. The soldier looked back. Shi Yuxing smiled. “Don’t be so tense. We’re so far from the main battlefield—probably safe from any fallout. Let’s chat.”
The soldier fell silent. Shi Yuxing rested his chin on his hand and guided the conversation: “If you talk to me, I won’t be as nervous either. Watching my husband out there fighting monsters one or two stories tall—I’m pretty scared.”
“The General is very capable. Don’t worry,” the soldier spoke.
Shi Yuxing rarely initiated conversation with strangers: “You’re a beta, right?”
“Yes.”
“How many in your family?”
“Six.”
“Married?”
Like the gossipy old ladies at the village entrance, Shi Yuxing asked this and that, circling around but never straying from small talk.
The soldier pressed his lips together, his gaze shifting away from the rearview mirror. “Yes. She’s on another planet. After this is over, I plan to bring her and our daughter here. I bought a house—she’s always wanted to be closer to me.”
Sure enough, people always talked more when speaking about those they loved. Shi Yuxing took a breath: “You’re a good father, a good husband.” Through the glass window, he looked at the scene outside. Those high-ranking officials who sat in their offices sipping tea and reading reports, dictating policy—perhaps they, too, could experience this perspective of a high-level cadre having tea in the office. But Shi Yuxing couldn’t sit still like those leaders. Several small Zerg were challenging this military starship, and on top of that, he was worried about Gu Lingzhou’s safety. His gaze kept sweeping the surroundings, only sparing a fraction of his attention to chat with the soldier in the cockpit.
“Thank you.”
Shi Yuxing’s attention returned, landing on the silhouette in front. “There’s nothing to thank me for. It should be us civilians hiding here thanking you.”
In a world of gunfire and flying dirt, beyond the Zerg corpses, there were also the bodies of these unnamed warriors.
The blood of martyrs seeped into the earth, their bodies buried beneath the soil, their heroic spirits shrouding their homeland.
Perhaps they were someone’s father too.
Shi Yuxing closed his eyes, filled with emotion. He wanted to help, but felt powerless. Suddenly, a strong, familiar scent faintly lingered at the tip of his nose. His eyes snapped open, scanning for the wounded alpha.
That pheromone must have seeped in through the starship’s air filter. If he could smell it from this distance inside such a well-sealed vehicle, he couldn’t imagine how concentrated the pheromones outside must be.
Da Ling, a bandage wrapped around his forehead, shot a Zerg in the head with one clean bullet. His eyes were fierce as they swept across the battlefield, as if searching for something. Shi Yuxing narrowed his eyes, his tea-colored pupils observing all living creatures on this land. Though the Zerg were still attacking, he noticed that some of their motives had changed—especially the large ones. During combat with the mechs, they were starting to learn to dodge.
Everyone knew the Zerg were reckless and brainless. The simplest example—moths were drawn to light by instinct, yet even knowing the flame would burn them to death, they couldn’t suppress it, ultimately perishing in the fire. This proved they were mindless animals.
This batch of Zerg attacking Imperial Planet was clearly much smarter than any he’d known—capable of burrowing, connecting underground tunnels. But in terms of attacks, they were still like other Zerg: reckless, relying on brute force, never dodging—as if being controlled.
Wait—controlled?
He wasn’t a Zerg specialist. He knew little about these domineering creatures that senselessly invaded and plundered resources. He only knew the Zerg Queen was the core, responsible for reproduction and commanding the small system centered around her, ensuring the survival of her swarm.
Shi Yuxing suddenly connected the conclusion that pheromones affected the Zerg Queen, and the speculation that higher-grade pheromones had a greater impact on the Zerg. None of the alphas had ever mentioned this to him—including the last time. He’d only brought it up tentatively and seen their reactions. Clearly, his speculation was most likely correct.
Otherwise, there wouldn’t be such strong fir-scented pheromones in the air—so thick they seemed to trap a person in the primeval forests of an icy planet.
His own pheromone grade was unknown, but certainly above S-class. If even S-class alpha pheromones could affect the Zerg’s behavior, couldn’t a higher grade affect the Queen? Startled by her own speculation, the omega’s eyes flew wide open. The blood flowing through him pushed his heart faster—a faint excitement made him tremble, no different from discovering a flaw in an authoritative academic journal. Through his thin chest, the pounding of his heart could be seen growing faster.
Suddenly, his bright eyes locked gazes with a scythe Zerg outside the glass. Shi Yuxing’s brows twitched sharply.
The person in the main cockpit quickly adjusted the overhead weapon. With a thunderous roar, though it was right nearby, the rocket launcher’s shot grazed past the scythe Zerg’s mouth and blew up the ruins not far away. Shi Yuxing witnessed the Zerg’s dodge up close—it was incredibly agile. Then, horror reflected in his pupils.
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