Chapter 21: Entering the Town
Looking at the lifeless Two-Tailed Tiger Cat, its body torn and tattered from being bitten, Qin Mu remained silent. Qin Mu could have manipulated the horn daggers to kill it directly, but he didn't. He only injured it, allowing the swarm to kill it. He wanted it to also experience the pain of being tormented.
As for the body of the Two-Tailed Tiger Cat, Qin Mu did not let the swarm devour it completely. Instead, he ordered the worker bugs to dismantle the body of the Two-Tailed Tiger Cat. The materials of a Commander level monster were different from those of a soldier level monster and were very valuable.
For example, its claws and teeth, as well as the tendon from its tail, could easily fetch a price of tens of millions if brought back, while the horns of high-level Soldier Single-Horned Wild Boars could only sell for thousands of dollars. Qin Mu still had a loan of three million yuan on his back. He couldn't afford to be without money.
The remaining parts of the body were also carried by a worker bug, ready to be analyzed by the new Mother Nest that would be hatched upon entering City 0203. When the Nest analyzed monster genes, it was best to have a complete body, such as the brain and other key parts, to speed up and improve the analysis. Conversely, the effect would be worse if parts were missing.
For example, without the brain, it would be impossible to read its memory information. On the other hand, claws, tendons, and the like were not important, but when it came to selling, the most valuable items were these claws, bones, and fur. In summary, this operation could both make money and be used to analyze monster genes.
"Rest on the spot." The battle was over, and Qin Mu did not rush to continue the journey. This battle had resulted in significant losses for the swarm, with fifteen Tiger Mastiffs dead and an entire scouting team wiped out. Fortunately, there were no more accidents on the subsequent journey. Although they encountered some monsters while traveling, none posed a threat to the swarm.
On July 26th, as dusk approached, Qin Mu and the swarm finally arrived at the outskirts of City 0203. Unlike the wilderness, the density of monsters in City 0203 was very high, with dozens or even hundreds of monsters on any given street.
Before Qin Mu led the main force to arrive, three Tiger Mastiff scouting teams had already entered City 0203 to scout. The information sent back by the scouting teams shocked Qin Mu. In just half an hour, the scouting teams discovered no less than five Commander level monsters, including a high-level Commander Wild Bull. Moreover, each Commander level monster was surrounded by a large number of Soldier level monsters. With the swarm's current strength, it stood no chance against any of them. Fortunately, the scouting Tiger Mastiffs were monsters themselves and did not cause any waves.
Sensing the route of the scouting teams, Qin Mu led the swarm into City 0203 discreetly, avoiding some Commander level monsters and advancing along a small path. After swiftly killing more than a dozen Soldier level monsters, the swarm finally arrived at a dilapidated residential area without any major incidents.
"Enter the underground garage." The underground garage of this residential area was large and had strong concealment, making it suitable for the Nest's hatching. One by one, the Tiger Mastiffs entered the underground garage and spread out to clear any potential threats inside.
A backpack on the back of a worker bug following Qin Mu was opened by an invisible force, and a tactical flashlight flew out, automatically turned on, and then floated on Qin Mu's right shoulder. The dark underground garage was illuminated brightly by the tactical flashlight.
"Sizzle—" Monsters were startled in the darkness, and a group of rodent-like monsters over a meter long, with piercing screams and red eyes, charged out from the darkness.
"Black-Furred Rats?" Qin Mu glanced at them without concern. These Black-Furred Rats were only primary soldier level monsters and would not be a match for the Tiger Mastiffs.
Sure enough, although these Black-Furred Rats came aggressively, they died even faster, easily killed by the Tiger Mastiffs and worker bugs without Qin Mu needing to intervene. It wasn't until several high-level Soldier level Black-Furred Rats appeared that Qin Mu manipulated the horn daggers to kill them instantly.
"Is this underground garage a rat's nest? There are actually hundreds of Black-Furred Rats." After spending more than twenty minutes sweeping through the underground garage, Qin Mu complained. The underground garage did not contain any other monsters, only Black-Furred Rats.
After continuously killing hundreds of Black-Furred Rats, the underground garage became extremely foul-smelling due to the stagnant air, filled with a nauseating stench. After confirming safety, Qin Mu, enduring the stench, walked to the center of the underground garage.
In the center of the underground garage, dozens of worker bugs gathered, waving their large claws to break through the concrete floor and dig out a deep pit. The height of the underground garage was only a little over three meters, not enough to accommodate a Nest, but digging down a bit would suffice. The Black-Furred Rats that had gathered here originally liked to dig holes, and there were many rat holes on the concrete floor, so it wasn't difficult for the worker bugs to dig.
"Begin hatching the Nest."
Upon receiving the order, one worker bug crawled into the freshly dug deep pit, its body quickly transforming into a huge meat sac that pulsed like a heart. Purple carpet spread out like water in all directions, wrapping and devouring the Black-Furred Rat corpses that filled the air with a foul stench.
The surrounding worker bugs also began to clean up the soil dug out from the underground garage and the countless Black-Furred Rat corpses on the ground. When it came to fighting, the worker bugs might not be good, but they were top-notch at work.
The Tiger Mastiffs were not idle either. Some guarded the two exits of the underground garage tightly to prevent monsters from intruding. Other Tiger Mastiffs scouted the distribution of monsters near the residential area, gathering intelligence for the swarm's future development.
Qin Mu did not go out. He found a relatively clean spot and sat down. Several days of traveling and fighting had exhausted Qin Mu. But Qin Mu did not immediately fall asleep. Instead, under the guard of several Tiger Mastiffs, he began to practice the cultivation method. In the past few days, Qin Mu discovered that practicing the Genetic Energy cultivation method was more efficient when he was utterly exhausted.
Although as the master of the swarm, Qin Mu's strength was steadily increasing even without practicing, he did not become complacent. Because Qin Mu was well aware that in this world, relying solely on the swarm was not enough. Personal strength was equally important.
While Qin Mu was cultivating, the Nest was also continuously hatching. This time, the hatching of the Nest did not encounter any accidents and succeeded normally. When the new Nest appeared, there was still a warm current flowing through Qin Mu's body. The appearance of this Nest did enhance Qin Mu's strength, but not as dramatically as the first time. He remained at the high-level rank, but his strength was more stable.
"Bring up the Nest information." Qin Mu connected his consciousness to this newly hatched Nest, temporarily calling it Nest No. 2. The data feedback from Nest No. 2 showed that the swarm could now hatch three types of combat units: Tiger Mastiffs, Iron-Furred Wild Boars, and Shadow Cats.
That's right, during the past few days of traveling, the first Nest in the villa area had successfully analyzed the Iron-Furred Wild Boars and Shadow Cats. The genetic information between Nests was interconnected. As long as one Nest analyzed the monster genes, all Nests could hatch them.
"Iron-Furred Wild Boar Consumes 50 energy points. In 30 minutes, it can hatch an Iron-Furred Wild Boar with mid-level Soldier level combat strength. Shadow Cat Consumes 10 energy points. In 20 minutes, it can hatch a Shadow Cat with mid-level Soldier level combat strength."
Looking at the newly appeared units, Qin Mu nodded in satisfaction. The energy consumption of the Iron-Furred Wild Boar was twice that of the Tiger Mastiff, not because the Iron-Furred Wild Boar was stronger. In a one-on-one fight, it was hard to say who was stronger.
However, the Iron-Furred Wild Boar's body was much larger, far surpassing the Tiger Mastiff. It was not comparable in terms of frontal charging and confrontation, akin to the difference between a warrior and a tank. Similarly, the Shadow Cat took the path of an assassin. Therefore, the hatching of swarm units also required consideration of a reasonable structure and combination.
"Then, begin hatching."