Chapter 155: Chapter 155: Sneaking Underground, Journey to the Strange Hive!
With the plan set, Lin Feng's Tier 2 corps raised their shotguns, while Lin Feng readied his Tiger Tooth Chainsaw Sword, poised to strike. Once the Tiger Bugs passed by, they would be annihilated with swift precision.
But just then, Ling Yi, who had been interrupted, spoke urgently:
"Wait, don't act yet!"
Lin Feng turned, frowning.
His psychic sensing indicated several Tier 2 Tiger Bugs were just 200 meters to the left, about to pass their wide tunnel.
Preparing to ambush might secure them a victory.
Yet Ling Yi continued:
"Your bodies carry Black Spinal Bug scent, and this ventilation shaft flows upward, so your presence hasn't been revealed!"
"Those Tiger Bugs are simply patrolling, no need to expose us for just a few."
Lin Feng frowned:
"Patrolling? If they follow a route, could they pass by important secondary hives?"
Ling Yi nodded, relaxing as Lin Feng lowered his chainsaw sword:
"Yes, by following them, we can map the hive's layout, making it easier to navigate."
"With me here, I can shield you, especially your mental waves, making detection difficult for the queen."
"But if we destroy Tier 2 eggs, the queen will be alerted, so that's when we'll need to fight out."
"Right now, attacking with the Haicheng queen's warning, they've likely moved eggs to the deepest lair..."
"We can't face the queen underground with just our numbers."
Lin Feng inhaled deeply, nodding, signaling his team to stow their shotguns and creep along the tunnel wall.
Slowing his pace, Lin Feng asked:
"Aren't queens slow underground?"
Ling Yi led the way, explaining:
"Controlling thousands of low-tier insects and Tier 2s takes immense focus, so queens grow large and slow, constantly consuming nutrients to sustain their brain."
"Movement is hampered, and relocating the large hive requires cutting and moving."
"Thousands of Red Beetles are needed."
"Insect expansion is only three or four kilometers a day."
"Unless life is threatened, a queen won't abandon control, moving at all costs..."
"In such cases, they can reach ten meters per second, covering seven to eight kilometers from the deepest point."
"After taking eggs, we'll have at least fifteen minutes to escape, unless the queen, cautious, stays put, then we can retreat normally."
"Unless all Tier 2 eggs are destroyed, it won't risk itself; such actions cost four or five days to recover and reorganize."
Lin Feng nodded, realizing Ling Yi's forced emergence outside Jia City cost more than releasing a domain or lowering her level.
Likewise, queens wouldn't abandon control to fight themselves unless in grave danger.
Cunning queens like Haicheng's wouldn't expose their location over a few Tier 2s.
Though nukes can't reach 500 meters deep, tactical missiles can target 100-200 meters.
As they whispered, Ling Yi suddenly stopped, motioning for the armed Tier 2 corps to hide.
Lin Feng squinted, seeing through his visor's tinted lens a junction fifteen meters ahead.
After descending a hundred meters, they entered a twenty-meter-wide tunnel, a high-speed transit for insect armies and Tier 2 patrols.
It led deeper to secondary hives!
Once they pressed against the tunnel walls...
A rhythmic thudding sounded from the mucus-reinforced walls!
Thud! Thud! Thud, thud, thud!
Amidst the disorderly beats came a group of Tier 2 Tiger Bugs at the tunnel's entrance.
Lin Feng's team held their breath, stilling themselves.
The Tiger Bugs moved slowly, probing for hidden threats in crevices.
The surface incursion made the queen wary, deploying Tiger Bug patrols.
Once they left, Ling Yi led them one by one into the wider tunnel.
The Tier 2 corps concealed their presence, ignoring the cargo-carrying Red Beetles, weaving through the insect throng...
Quietly trailing the Tiger Bugs.
Following their route, Lin Feng and Ling Yi grew more eager as they delved deeper.
Soon, at 200 meters underground, they reached a secondary hive.
When the Tiger Bug patrol halted, everyone flattened themselves, hiding within the Red Beetle swarm, observing the scene.
Bioluminescent fungi on nearby walls cast a ghostly green glow, like burning phosphorus lighting the dark tunnels.
Though dim, the ten Tier 2 awakeners saw clearly.
At the hive entrance, two giant mandibles poked out, greeting the patrolling Tiger Bugs.
They seemed to exchange greetings.
Through pheromone-releasing organs under their mandibles, they confirmed safety.
Each secondary hive had dedicated guards.
Deeper hives had tighter security.
After exchanging information, the Tiger Bug patrol moved on, and Ling Yi led them forward, crouching low to avoid detection by the guards.
Crouching among the Red Beetles, they bypassed the entrance, Lin Feng pressing Ling Yi's shoulder.
She turned, seeing Lin Feng gesture, asking if this was their target.
Lin Feng sensed a strong light source here, reminiscent of the shipyard's biological furnace.
The secondary hive held a large bio-factory, psychically sensed as a bright light source.
Indicating high life energy within.
But Ling Yi shook her head lightly.
Continuing onward.
A hundred meters past the hive, she whispered:
"No Tier 2 eggs there, just a Tier 1 egg hatchery."
"Bowl-sized eggs nurtured in bio-hives hatch early-stage Black Spinal Bugs in three or four days with ample food."
"High heat accelerates growth, transforming eggs into mature bugs quickly."
"Each bio-hive hatches nearly ten thousand Black Spinal Bugs, maturing a third daily. A typical swarm has ten such secondary hives."
Lin Feng's face darkened, the team shocked at the rapid hatching, the constant numbers...
Every queen's war potential rivaled a mid-sized nation on Bluestar.
No wonder low-tier insects seemed endless.
Ling Yi shrugged, explaining:
"Though early third-stage queens lay an egg every second, not all develop into mature bugs."
"Weeding out the weak and malformed, about 60% become early-stage Black Spinal Bugs."
"Selection starts from inception. Low-tier insects lack intelligence but obey absolutely."
"Such discipline surpasses ordinary human armies. Unless a queen dies, no mass retreat occurs."
As they moved, the Red Beetles' footsteps masked Ling Yi's whispers.
Lin Feng pondered.
He gauged an early third-stage queen's overall power.
Ling Yi, as a queen avatar, provided the most accurate intel.
Eight-six thousand eggs a day, with a 60% success rate, yielding over fifty thousand Black Spinal Bugs in three or four days.
That's a swarm's maximum output.
Queens don't allocate all resources to hatching, so many low-tier eggs aren't rushed to maturity.
Ling Yi mentioned early third-stage queens, lv33, controlled two hundred thousand low-tier insects.
With Tiger Bugs diverting focus, low-tier swarms kept around a hundred thousand.
Queens, like massive computers, manage expansion while distributing processing power.
Each bio-hive hatches three to four thousand Black Spinal Bugs daily, totaling forty to fifty thousand.
In a day, insects can increase swarm size by 50%.
As Ling Yi noted.
Mid-third stage lv36 queens command six to seven hundred thousand low-tier bugs, expanding to a million post-battle!
Victorious, they plunder resources, sustaining enhanced productivity.
To 100% the next day!
Insects expand until every enemy is eradicated!
To hold territory and battle insects, a hundred thousand awakeners are needed to suppress a mid-third-stage queen in a day.
Destroy their hives.
Denying them a chance to regroup!
In attrition, humans can't mass-produce, doomed to fail.
With five thousand soldiers and hundreds of awakeners, Lin Feng relied on his fleet's mobility for guerrilla tactics.
Until all five thousand soldiers become awakeners, Lin Feng can't challenge even an early third-stage queen.
While forming a well-equipped Tier 2 corps to aid him underground.
Lastly, Lin Feng needed the power to slay a high-tier queen with ten thousand HP in ten seconds!
These three must align...
All essential.
Thinking this, Lin Feng eyed the Tiger Bugs ahead, his gaze fierce.
Ling Yi sensed something, turning to hush him:
"Don't release killing intent; you're scaring nearby Red Beetles. Hive insects are sensitive to that."
Lin Feng nodded, calming himself.
As worker insects, the Red Beetles were their best disguise, not to be scared away.
Soon, the Tiger Bugs halted again, indicating another secondary hive.
They paused, waiting patiently.
After the patrol left, Ling Yi led them past the hive entrance, crouching low.
But many Red Beetles veered into the hive behind them.
Lin Feng frowned; their departure wasn't a good sign.
Ling Yi explained:
"That's a scrapped biomass recovery hive, where insect corpses are brought."
"Valuable parts are restored, others decomposed into nutrients for the swarm."
"Recycling to reduce waste."
Ling Yi stopped, noting the few large Red Beetles, sniffing the air, her expression grave:
"Looks like the slope ahead leads to a Tier 2 hatchery."
"These Red Beetles transport food, each bearing the lower hive's scent. Ahead, we'll be easily discovered."
Lin Feng stood behind, waiting.
At 300 meters deep, the target was near, no reason to retreat.
Even if exposed, they'd fight in!
Ling Yi offered a solution.
She inhaled, reaching for a nearby lv9 Red Beetle.
Under her control, they approached, ejecting part of their gelled substance.
Ling Yi applied the viscous fluid to her arms and neck, explaining:
"Extracted nutrients from surface species, similar to Tier 2 egg nutrients."
"They feed queens, Tiger Bugs often sneak bites."
"Different species yield subtle flavor and scent differences in nutrient concentrate."
"Identifying different swarms, deterring parasitic Tier 2 insects."
"Few Red Beetles below, the air filled with this food scent."
"Disgusting, but it hides us well."
"What are you waiting for? Apply more. Your human..."
"Um, men's sweat smells strong, especially needing more."
This scene puzzled the team, looking to Lin Feng.
Opening his visor, Lin Feng confirmed a faint rice scent, likely from northern farmlands...
He joined Ling Yi, applying the nutrient gel to his armor.
Shen Jie followed, unbothered, eagerly tasting it.
Smacking his lips, he nodded:
"Similar to organic nutrients."
"But contains trace insect toxins, unsuitable for regular consumption, awakeners can't eat much, it upsets the stomach."
The initial excitement faded at Shen Jie's warning, dampening spirits.
Thinking they'd found treasure, only to discover poison.
Lin Feng coughed:
"Alright, don't covet this."
"When we find the Tier 2 egg hatchery, drink your fill!"
"Now focus, this last stretch leaves no room for error!"
They nodded.
Applying the Red Beetle gel to their armor.
Ling Yi led them behind the Red Beetles, crawling on the slope.
Soon, the slope leveled at 350 meters.
There, the long-awaited Tier 2 hive appeared.
Nearby...
The Tiger Bugs were joined by Red Beetles carrying large eggs into a side entrance!
Inside lay the crucial Tier 2 egg hatchery!
Lin Feng gestured.
Signaling readiness!
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