VAP - Chapter 132
Chapter 132: The Marshal's Journey is the Sea of Stars (28)
Two mechs cautiously approached the unremarkable planet.
Upon arrival, the starfield network lost its effectiveness, and their connection to the Federation was severed. However, the internal communication between the two of them could still be maintained.
Yue Du said in a low voice, "I've pulled up the star chart for the area around the Spiral Star System. There are no coordinate records for this planet."
Sheng Xuejiu said, "Interesting."
Not existing on the star chart meant it had never been observed, which was truly incredible given the current level of technology.
Then there was only one possibility.
Something on this planet was blocking outside detection, keeping it hidden from human eyes and allowing the Zerg to build their nests and reproduce in peace, without fear of their main base being wiped out.
The two of them didn't act rashly, waiting quietly for a while. During this time, many more Zerg arrived from a distance. They all passed smoothly through the white, fog-like substance covering the planet and then vanished.
Yue Du keenly noticed that whenever a Zerg passed through the cloud-like mist, a very subtle fluctuation of spiritual power would emanate from it.
It was faint and difficult to perceive, but it was definitely there.
Since it was spiritual power, it had to be countered with spiritual power. Yue Du furrowed her brow and pushed out her spiritual barrier, letting it expand silently and rapidly until it enveloped both of their mechs.
"Wait a moment," Sheng Xuejiu stopped her, indicating she would go test the path.
Yue Du said helplessly, "I'm the one who can use spiritual power. Even if I'm not the one scouting, we should at least go together."
Sheng Xuejiu thought for a moment and compromised, "Alright then, together."
As soon as they neared the mist surrounding the planet, Yue Du subconsciously heightened her guard.
The mist was indeed composed of spiritual power, clinging to her spiritual barrier as if it were tangible, and it even seemed to be corrosive. Yue Du guessed this was likely an ability belonging to some mutated King Zerg or the Zerg Mother itself, capable of identifying its own kind and corroding other species.
As one layer was corroded away, she would replenish it. While her spiritual power was being rapidly consumed, they passed through the thick barrier of mist.
With a single glance, Yue Du sucked in a sharp breath and stopped warily.
Without the cover of the mist, the planet was revealed completely before the outsiders' eyes. The entire planet was a scorched black, like the color left behind after being engulfed in flames.
But what was astonishing wasn't the planet itself.
From Yue Du's perspective, she could clearly see a huge, iron-gray mass lying on the planet's surface, occupying a full one-tenth of its landmass.
Judging by its silhouette, it was a gigantic Zerg, motionless and silent.
Yue Du felt goosebumps rise all over her skin. Although she was worldly and had seen much, the largest creature she had ever encountered before was merely the magic dragon Nai Yin had tamed. And this Zerg? A conservative estimate placed it at several thousand times the size of that dragon!
Sheng Xuejiu, however, took it in stride. "No wonder it eats so much," she said matter-of-factly. "So its size is the reason."
Hearing this, Yue Du thought again about what this Zerg's daily diet consisted of, and her discomfort grew even more pronounced.
She activated the Silent Watcher and zoomed in to observe, seeing other things on the planet's surface.
There were queues of Zerg responsible for transporting food to the Zerg Mother's side, yet the giant body remained completely still, resembling a dead mountain of Zerg more than a living creature.
But Yue Du knew this Zerg was alive; its spiritual power fluctuations were just weak, and the entire creature seemed rather unintelligent.
This was rather different from what Yue Du had imagined.
That made sense. Although the Zerg Mother was the object of protection and support for all Zerg, it was ultimately just a non-stop reproduction tool. What strict requirements could there be for its intelligence?
Sheng Xuejiu said, "The target is certainly large. A starship could come over and get a direct hit every time."
Yue Du replied, "But because it's so large, it's uncertain whether conventional thermal weapons would even be effective. Let's get closer and take a look."
The closer they got, the clearer their view became. Although the Zerg was massive, its form was not much different from that of an ordinary King Zerg.
Yue Du frowned, a sense of dissonance rising within her.
In the natural world, insect reproducers like queen ants and queen bees all shared a distinct feature: a swollen abdomen.
Yet the "Zerg Mother" before them was not like that. Was it because its body was already so massive, and covered in a metallic carapace, that its abdomen wasn't noticeable?
Sheng Xuejiu watched for a moment, then said, "It has no spiritual barrier, and its iron armor is similar to a King Zerg's. The mech's standard thermal weapons should be able to penetrate it."
Yue Du agreed. "Yes, but we'll need to fire in succession to ensure its head is completely destroyed. Zerg have large heads but small brain cores; it's useless if you don't crush the brain core."
Sheng Xuejiu let out an "oh," her expression full of disgust.
The Zerg was already ugly; having its head blown off by thermal weapons would probably make for an even uglier sight.
She adjusted the thermal weapons and descended a little closer. The Silver Lion's mechanical mouth opened wide, a cannon barrel extending from within as a blinding ball of white light began to brew.
—A seven-shot burst from the Brightlight Cannon.
The moment the first shot lit up, the other Zerg noticed the commotion and hurriedly beat their wings to rush forward, attempting to intervene.
But it was too late. The giant Zerg's entire head erupted in a churning blaze, and white smoke spread out, forming a mushroom cloud above.
Yue Du raised her mech's forearm, and a volley of laser rounds struck a King Zerg charging straight at them, ensuring Sheng Xuejiu would not be disturbed.
At the same time, however, she kept her eyes fixed on the ordinary, low-level Zerg on the ground, watching their movement patterns.
Something was wrong.
Something was definitely wrong!
Logically, all Zerg were the Zerg Mother's descendants and minions, rallying around her as their center. The King Zerg were no exception.
Even if the Zerg Mother was unintelligent and possessed only the instinct to eat, the rest of the Zerg should have fallen into chaos upon its death.
But they hadn't. The escape routes of the low-level Zerg fleeing the giant creature's body were not scattered in the least; clearly, something was directing them.
Even if the commander behind them was a King Zerg, it would be impossible for them to be so perfectly coordinated.
Therefore, the Zerg Mother had to still be alive.
And that Zerg, so massive it occupied one-tenth of the planet's surface, was merely a diversion to deceive outside invaders!
Sheng Xuejiu's leisurely voice came over the communication channel, "Interesting indeed."
At this point, they could no longer be bothered with the alerted Zerg. Yue Du fired one last shot, blasting an opening in their encirclement, and landed together with the Marshal's Silver Lion.
Those few shots from the Brightlight Cannon had not only killed the giant Zerg used as camouflage but had also blown away many of the nearby low-level Zerg transporting food. The survivors on the periphery were lying on their backs, weakly kicking their legs in the air.
For anyone who hated bugs, this scene was absolute hell.
Sheng Xuejiu looked around, her gaze settling on the area beneath the wreckage of the giant Zerg's head. There was a small opening there—"small" only in relation to the giant Zerg's body, as it was actually large enough for an ordinary King Zerg to enter.
The soil at its edge had been scattered by the explosion, and the opening was dark and deep, clearly leading underground.
"These Zerg did a pretty decent job. Even if we had gotten closer just now, we might not have noticed the food was being sent underground instead of to the 'Zerg Mother's' mouth."
Yue Du recalled what she had seen of the planet's surface from above. The Zerg coming and going probably amounted to less than one percent of their total numbers. The real main force was in the caves underground, hidden by the giant Zerg's body.
Without exchanging many words, the two already had a tacit understanding.
Sheng Xuejiu piloted her mech into the cave while Yue Du stood guard outside, ready to provide support. She also activated her system's special perspective to constantly watch for any Zerg that might burrow out from underground.
A cunning rabbit has three burrows, and the Zerg's underground caves wouldn't have just one entrance. If the Zerg Mother tried to escape from another opening, Yue Du would inevitably be the first to confront it.
A King Zerg charged toward her. Yue Du glanced up and blasted it to pieces with a single shot, not a ripple of emotion in her eyes.
She had only been on the battlefield for a few years, but war always honed a person more than anything else. Things like learning summoning arts and cultivating peacefully in the mountains were nothing compared to this.
Her host's leisurely voice came through the communication channel: "I have to say, the Zerg are pretty good at building nests. They've built an underground labyrinth here."
Listening to her tone, which was full of keen interest, Yue Du figured she was probably just strolling leisurely through the interconnected tunnels.
The system, who was worried sick about her host, facepalmed heavily inside her mech. "Don't just wander around. Whether you find the Zerg Mother or not, you need to come back up as soon as possible. The mech's thermal weapon reserves are limited."
"What's the big deal? Without all those guns and cannons, I can still chop off the Zerg Mother's head with my light saber," Sheng Xuejiu said.
Deep in the dark, lightless underground, the Federal Marshal casually swung her sword. The light saber sliced cleanly through the neck of a low-level Zerg, decapitating it with a single strike and proving her point.
At this moment, neither of them had to worry about the outside world. They could simply unleash all the power they normally kept hidden, since no one else could see them in this place beyond the reach of the starfield network.
About half an hour later, Yue Du's omnidirectional view suddenly detected movement in the distance.
Loose soil was pushed up by a King Zerg, and it wasn't alone. A squad of Zerg lined up behind it, and as soon as they emerged from the hole, they spread their wings and took to the sky.
They were trying to abandon this Zerg planet!
They were abandoning their old base; how could they possibly leave without the one and only Zerg Mother?
Yue Du reactivated her stealth mode and headed in that direction, even finding the time to send her host a message. "I've spotted the King Zerg. They're in a ceremonial escort formation. There's probably nothing else important left underground."
Sheng Xuejiu replied that since the Zerg Mother knew how to use a decoy, it might also send out some Zerg to attract attention while it remained hidden underground.
To prevent that from happening, it was better for her to investigate the underground first.
Yue Du: "..."
She was probably having so much fun in the labyrinth that she'd forgotten all about leaving.
She shook her head and went to pursue the small Zerg squad that had surfaced.
With the Silent Watcher for observation and her system for data analysis, Yue Du identified the real Zerg Mother almost the instant she got close to the squad.
—And then, it was time to take it out.
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