The Zerg Hive had grown into a massive nest capable of housing ten thousand Zerg.
Yet, despite its enormous capacity, the rapid production of Zerg in the Zerg armory meant that many still lacked a place to stay.
Above ground stood a grand palace with a medieval aesthetic, while below lay an underground kingdom that could only be described as miraculous.
Their current destination was the Zerg armory within this subterranean realm, where they were to meet Catherine, who had summoned them.
Catherine had announced that the Overseer had successfully hatched. Their mission now was to witness the birth of the "First Satellite of the Zerg."
This project had kept Catherine away from her quarters and Charles' side for quite some time, much to the mixed delight and torment of Medusa, who had been left to serve master alone.
The Zerg laboratory had expanded to a scale of one hundred square meters, with walls composed of rare, pure white metals. Clad in a long white lab coat and sporting a pair of austere glasses, Catherine stood silently, observing the massive spherical entity before her.
This was the Overseer, the Zerg's reconnaissance unit.
Charles approached Catherine, gently wrapping his arm around her shoulder and speaking in a soft tone, "So, this is the finished Overseer you mentioned. It certainly looks very Zerg-like."
[Overseer]
[Zerg]
[Combat Strength: Intermediate Tier 2]
[Abilities: Information Network Transmission, Enhanced Vision, Flight]
[Description: The Zerg's reconnaissance unit, capable of ascending to altitudes of several thousand miles and surveying the entire Serene Forest.]
Gazing at the multitude of eyes dotting the massive, fleshy sphere before him, Charles found the creature oddly endearing.
Yet, he couldn't help but smile wryly and remark, "This fellow... it's not going to get snatched away by another bird-like monster, is it?"
In truth, the Overseer had been fully developed half a month ago. Back then, the three of them had watched in anticipation as the contraption ascended into the sky, only for it to be promptly snatched mid-air by a foraging giant bird monster, leading to its untimely and rather definitive demise.
This incident had dealt a psychological blow to Catherine, causing her to seclude herself in the laboratory for a prolonged period. She only emerged to seek solace with her master's impressive endowment when her desires became overwhelming.
Observing her master's skeptical expression, Catherine let out a dismissive snort, her face brimming with pride. "Master, last time was indeed a success, it was merely interrupted by a flock of those damned birds. So this time, I have outfitted the Observer, this special unit, with an additional module."
Neither of them interrupted her. Ever since Catherine delved into research and development, she had seemed to embrace her own eccentricities. On occasions, when Charles attempted to counter her arguments, she would even retort with a biting sarcasm that left him momentarily speechless.
Of course, in the end, she would be thoroughly 'trained,' crying out for mercy and never daring to defy him again.
Seeing that they hadn't interrupted her, Catherine continued, "The Overseer is a special unit. It can ascend to altitudes beyond the reach of typical birds. The challenge lies in the ascent phase, which I needed to address. Hence, the additional module I mentioned."
"I pondered over this for a week. Finally, I found a special metal in your treasure trove—the Magic Conduction Crystal, which resolved this problem."
"Magic Conduction Crystal?" Charles raised an eyebrow, seemingly unaware that such an item existed in his inventory.
The treasure trove was essentially a collection of all the chests Charles had acquired while leading the Zerg on their conquests. These chests had a low probability of containing high-grade metals or other valuable items.
Aside from skill books and items unusable by the Zerg, all high-grade items were sealed in a warehouse for future use, ensuring he wouldn't have to enter resource-binding contracts like Eve.
Intrigued, Charles smiled and said, "Explain in detail."
Medusa, equally curious, took off Catherine's glasses and put them on herself, asking with interest, "So, what brilliant solution did you come up with?"
Catherine didn't mind and, with an excited expression, explained, "This metal can serve as a conduit for magic. By integrating it with the previous enhancements I made to the Overseer, it can utilize our power to eliminate any flying creatures that come to attack during its ascent!"
This design ingeniously combined the advantages of the Zerg, the Continent of Overlord, and modern society. In a sense, it could even be extended to the ion cannons that connect to the stars.
Charles understood. With a look of astonishment, he infused his Overlord power into the Overseer, discovering that it began to manifest his magic.
Moreover, why did it feel like he had only infused half of his magic, yet the Overseer seemed to amplify it twofold?
He gazed thoughtfully at the menacing Overseer, beginning to suspect that this special unit, initially intended to function as a satellite, might have been developed by Catherine for other purposes.
Noticing her master's confusion, Catherine looked equally perplexed at the Overseer. "There's another thing—when we infuse it with magic, it always seems to double it. This morning, I drained all my magic, and this thing still managed to spit out twice as much!"
She spread her hands helplessly, her tone resigned. "I have no idea why this happens. I haven't figured it out, not even a clue."
Creating a biological satellite that she didn't fully understand herself had left Catherine feeling quite frustrated.
At this moment, Medusa asked curiously, "I remember you mentioned last time that you wanted to draw some of the master's Blood of the Overlord for luck. Could this have caused the Overseer to mutate?"
"That's possible, but the Blood of the Overlord is also a research blind spot for me! Even though the master provided some, I still can't crack it. The stuff is too advanced." Catherine rubbed her forehead in exasperation, clearly feeling the increasing pressure from this mystery.
Seeing his little slave girl so distressed, Charles comforted her, "Alright, sweetheart, don't get too caught up in this. For now, the Overseer can serve as a biological satellite, helping us determine our position. We can explore its other functions later."
"The primary goal right now is to get it airborne. Only then will we begin to establish our airspace sovereignty."
The Continent of Overlord has no concept of airspace sovereignty, or rather, the idea doesn't even exist.
However, coming from a modern society, both master and slave recognized its critical importance.
Charles' reasoning convinced Catherine, and so, he and Medusa each left a powerful attack spell in the Overseer's magic reservoir.
Once prepared, they moved outdoors and watched as the massive Overseer began to take flight under Catherine's command through the information network.
Theoretically, the Overseer could ascend beyond Earth's atmosphere for observation, marking it as an exceptionally advanced unit. However, given their current limitations, it could only reach altitudes of around ten thousand meters.
The Overseer's ascent was swift, yet still relatively slow compared to the bird-like monsters patrolling the skies.
As the Overseer climbed a few hundred meters into the sky, the sharp cries of birds echoed around them. A flock of intermediate Tier 2 Azure Scaled Birds, eyes gleaming with excitement, swooped down toward the Overseer.
Breakfast descended from the sky, and it seemed like waiting here with their companions paid off!
On the ground, Catherine gritted her teeth in anger at the sight. It was these pesky birds circling around all the time!
With a cold smile, she operated the controls, opening one of the Overseer's slots to release a massive purple snake head, even larger than the Overseer itself, silently observing the Azure Scaled Birds.
It was quite amusing, to be honest.
"Even my Serpent Emperor's shadow has its power doubled. Catherine, you might have developed something extraordinary." Medusa remarked, watching in awe as the purple snake head devoured all the Azure Scaled Birds.
She finally understood why her sister had forsaken military training in favor of research—this was simply groundbreaking!
Charles remained silent because after dealing with the smaller threats, the real challenge had arrived.
A terrifying screech, powerful enough to split stone, echoed as a giant Azure Scaled Bird, comparable in size to the Overseer, appeared in the sky.
It was a lower-tier fourth-tier Azure Scaled Bird.
Just their luck!
The three of them realized that their ascension plan had failed this time.
A lower-tier fourth-tier creature could hold its own against Charles and Medusa.
One powerful attack wouldn't be enough. The giant bird could easily dodge.
"Let me give it a shot." Charles sighed, ruffling Catherine's hair to comfort her.
Then...
The Overseer, as if no longer holding back, suddenly operated at full power. The black spear, initially only seventy to eighty meters long, expanded to over three hundred meters, becoming more than three times larger than the Azure Scaled Bird.
How could it dodge that?
Boom!