Chapter 68: Expanding in All Directions
After successfully persuading Councilor Jia Yi, Qin Mu and Jia traveled to the Kyoto Base City, where they met with several elders in a highly confidential location, engaging in discussions that lasted an entire day. Through this deep conversation, they gained a clearer understanding of China's precarious situation. While they conferred, several war bases at the Yangtze River estuary received a peculiar command. After a covert reassignment, a highly classified team took control of these military installations.
The underwater gates of the war bases opened, and over a hundred thousand Zerg creatures surged forth, led by twenty high-ranking amphibious monsters, including silver electric pythons and diamond turtles, entering the ocean for the first time. The Zerg were not merely entering the sea; they would follow the intricate waterways of the Yangtze River, moving upstream to spread throughout all of China.
On land, more Zerg troops advanced in all directions under the command of various high-ranking Zerg leaders.
In City 003, the presence of the Zerg had already begun to manifest. Nearby cities around China's six major base cities were already incubating Zerg nests. This in-depth exchange had drawn Qin Mu and China closer together.
Unlike Hong, who operated on a higher philosophical plane, focusing on global considerations and the collective well-being of humanity, Qin Mu had a more immediate perspective. He cared deeply about the relationships between nations, and he intended to leverage the upcoming global conflict to achieve true unification.
The Earth is a relatively small place; one voice would suffice.
Even without his direct intervention, it wouldn't be long before humanity on Earth contacted the universe and encountered other civilizations. Beyond Earth, even the weakest of the universe's early civilizations, the SilverBlue Empire, controlled eight Galaxies. How could a fragmented Earth withstand the storms raging in the universe?
In the original timeline, aside from Luo Feng, Hong, and Lei Shen, were there any other notable figures on Earth? No!
After contact with the universe, Luo Feng returned with virtual helmets from the Virtual Universe Company. Nevertheless, even after several major nations on Earth encountered the outside world, they still hesitated to engage with the universe.
Why? Because Earth was a disjointed entity. The Five Great Nations, the HR Alliance, the Limit Dojo, and the Thunder Dojo—these were eight formidable forces. And this was merely the strongest eight factions. There were many more mercenary groups and family powers established by various councilors and Wargods that were impossible to quantify.
In such a scenario, without unified arrangements, how could they dare to approach the universe, a realm rife with the law of the jungle and countless enslaved races? Wouldn't that be tantamount to courting death?
It wasn't that Luo Feng hadn't done well; on the contrary, he had done exceedingly well. He had protected all of humanity on Earth remarkably, to the extent that even a disjointed Earth could operate as a powerful force under his leadership. Luo Feng didn't require anything in return from Earth, nor did he seek territory.
But Qin Mu was different; the expansion of the Zerg demanded vast resources and extensive territory. The area where Hu Yan Bo had concealed the spatial coordinates of Earth for nearly a thousand light-years would become the ideal environment for the Zerg to thrive. During the Zerg's expansion, Qin Mu had no qualms about allowing China to govern the Earth.
Above City 023, a blood-red jet hovered, and Qin Mu emerged, standing atop a peculiar circular disc. This Wargod-class aircraft had been provided by the military for Qin Mu's transport. While he possessed the Golden Flame Divine Eagle, its comfort paled in comparison to that of the jet.
But that wasn't the main point; what truly mattered was the spirit weapon beneath his feet, discovered by the military in a ruin.
This strange metallic disc was composed of "Crescent Moon Blades," containing 256 individual blades, each inscribed with mysterious runes. Upon acquiring this spirit weapon, the military also received some related information and operational methods.
It was called "Crescent Moon Disc," with a diameter of 99 centimeters, primarily designed for offensive capabilities. Due to its complex operation and immense value, it had been kept sealed as a significant asset of China.
Standing on the Crescent Moon Disc, Qin Mu felt invigorated. "A good spirit weapon is incredibly important for a Spirit Master."
While flying, the strange runes on the disc guided the air currents around it to form a streamlined barrier, providing Qin Mu with protection while significantly reducing air resistance.
"Speed: 5,241 meters per second." Even in its basic flight form, mastering the Crescent Moon Disc had doubled Qin Mu's speed.
The disc had two forms: flight mode and attack mode.
After testing the flight mode for a while, Qin Mu switched to the attack mode. Standing on the disc, he manipulated the 256 Crescent Moon Blades to dart and weave around him. As he swept over a street, in an instant, hundreds of monsters were simultaneously slain by the blades. With an elegant arc, he soared into the sky, where the blades assembled into a circular formation in front of him. The mysterious runes glowed, and the blades spun rapidly, ready to unleash their power.
"Although the Crescent Moon Disc doesn't have as many forms as the Soaring Shuttle, it possesses a unique finishing move called 'Starlight Crescent Slash.' Depending on the operator's skill, it can achieve up to ten times amplification in attack power."
The rapidly spinning circular blades, enhanced by the runes, transformed into a silver crescent beam over ten meters long, slicing through the ruins of the city.
"Boom—" Feeling the impact of his recent attack, a smile spread across Qin Mu's face.
"Just from my first attempt, I achieved a twofold amplification in my attack power. Coupled with my own 56-fold amplification, this strike reached a staggering 112 times the normal power."
How many people on Earth could withstand such a level of attack? And this was merely his first try; with more practice, the amplification could rise even higher.
"I should take some time to familiarize myself with the capabilities of the Crescent Moon Disc."
As he descended to the ground, he walked through the ruins of the city. Originally, Qin Mu had planned to head to Misty Island after sorting out matters of the Zerg. He had kept the spirit of nature and the Cloud Vine in mind, especially with the inheritance from the Yun Mo still lingering in his thoughts.
However, having unexpectedly acquired the Crescent Moon Disc, he decided to wait until he was more proficient with its powers before making the trip, especially since the Cloud Vine was notoriously difficult to tame. Having a better preparation was worth a slight delay.
Not only did Qin Mu need time to master the Crescent Moon Disc, but the Zerg also required time to adjust. After a few days of selection, the new main units for the Zerg were determined for the upcoming period.
The main land units at the soldier level were identified as the Blade Mantis, while the Commander level units were the Giant Tiger Beetle and the Bombardier Beetle. Among these three land units, the Blade Mantis excelled in offense, the Giant Tiger Beetle was a balanced defender, and the Bombardier Beetle provided long-range support, laying the foundation for a combat system.
In the air, there were two types of units: giant poisonous bees and the Thunder Dragonfly. The bees, classified as a soldier unit, could spit venom from their mouth and shoot poisonous stingers from their tail, making it adept at group combat. The Thunder Dragonfly, classified as a commander unit, was exceptionally fast, with a quick reaction time and formidable attack power.
The previously common monsters, such as the Tiger Mastiff, Shadow Cat, and Single-Horned Wild Boar, were all eliminated and would no longer be hatched.
Aside from these main units, some were designated as auxiliary units, which the Zerg would hatch based on actual battle needs.
As for the Horde Leader monsters, which represented the Zerg's high-end combat power, they would be hatched according to current demands. Among them, there were several that particularly caught Qin Mu's eye, including a high Horde Leader Mammoth that stood 37 meters tall and measured 72 meters long.
This Mammoth was covered in gray scales and sported four extremely long tusks; its combat prowess was nothing short of terrifying. Especially its charging ability and capability to break through enemy lines would play a decisive role in the war against the monsters.
Of course, each of these massive Zerg creatures consumed astronomical amounts of energy during hatching, making large-scale reproduction infeasible even for the Zerg.
"Finally, the Zerg is starting to take shape."
Sensing the continuous emergence of Zerg monsters in the distance, Qin Mu couldn't help but admire the progress. Previously, the Zerg units had consisted mainly of dog-like and pig-like creatures, a chaotic mix that hardly resembled a coherent force.
"Hmm, the eliminated Zerg units will serve multiple purposes. Some will continue to expand our territory, fighting in places like City 003. Others can be allocated to the military, allowing them to familiarize themselves with coordinating operations with the Zerg."
Previously, Qin Mu had sold a batch of Zerg units to the military, receiving widespread acclaim for his efforts. During his discussions with Councilor Jia Yi, he promised to provide the military with the first batch of 100,000 monsters, including ten Horde Leader beasts.
This time, Qin Mu did not intend to charge for them. Having received the Crescent Moon Disc from the military, he wouldn't quibble over such trivial matters. On Earth, no amount of wealth could purchase a spirit weapon like the Crescent Moon Disc.
For his convenience in researching the Zerg, Qin Mu also acquired a high-spec biological research base from the military. Despite his significant power increase, Qin Mu had never abandoned his research into genetics. On the contrary, this area had become even more critical to him. Simply replacing some ordinary Zerg monsters had already doubled the Zerg's strength. What if he could develop true combat-ready Zerg units tailored for slaughter?
"The Bug Queen from Relic 31 contains vast stores of genetic material. If I can obtain that genetic data, the Zerg could potentially reach fourth-level or even stronger almost immediately. No, it's not just about the fourth level. We could advance swiftly to Sector Lord level, and even becoming an Undying may no longer be a concern."
Among the nests Qin Mu had established across the nation, one was located close to the Bug Queen. This nest had just been established, and to ensure safety, Qin Mu stationed ten high Horde Leaders to guard it. Additionally, a group of high-ranking aerial Zerg was ready to provide support at any moment. This nest would hatch monsters with strong poison resistance, initiating preliminary explorations.
Everything was developing according to plan.
As the Zerg continued to grow, Qin Mu gradually mastered the operational methods of the Crescent Moon Disc. It was not until half a month later that he received a call from Jia Yi.
"Qin Mu, the gathering of ocean monsters has surpassed one hundred million. If this continues, we may face a catastrophic monster tide. We plan to make it start early and need your assistance. Additionally, the HR Alliance and the European Union will jointly visit China concerning the regeneration potion. After a long build-up, the news about the potion has spread globally, and their medical stocks have plummeted to worthless levels. They can't sit still anymore."
"I understand," Qin Mu replied, his mind racing with implications.
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